Shop 'Til You Fall
by I Need Space - And Fresh Air
Summary: The summer before junior year, Kurt spent a bit of time at Easton Town Center, a respectable shopping establishment near Columbus, OH. Blaine spent a bit of time there too, working at his mom's jewelry kiosk. The two would eventually cross paths and come to find they had a lot in common. (Takes place the summer before Season 2 through 2x6.)
1. Chapter 1 - Something New

Author's Note - So, I worked at a kiosk for about a month and this idea popped into my mind after all the people watching I got to do from my uncomfortable stool. It'll be 11 or 12 chapters long when it's finished (I was trying to hold out posting anything until I was completely done, but I caved... I'm in the middle of writing chapter 10 now, so the end is in sight.). Comments are welcome - thanks for reading :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, the show would have better continuity and there would be more 80s and/or boy band songs.)

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Chapter 1 – Something New

Easton Town Center in Columbus was the only retail entity in the Midwest that came even remotely close to Kurt Hummel's high standards for shopping establishments.

His dad was none to thrilled when Kurt insisted on driving there as often as he could because gas was expensive and it's about a two hour drive each way. "Burberry, Dad. There is a BURBERRY. And Tiffany's. And an Apple Store. _You_ said I should get a backup charger for my phone..." However, Burt loved his only son and allowed him to go when he wanted, so long as his homework was done and he was not needed in the shop.

On that particular day, Kurt told his dad he was picking up Mercedes and they were going to head to Easton to find her a dress for her cousin's wedding and maybe catch a matinee or something. Burt nodded and handed over his credit card. His knew his kid didn't have a lot of friends, so he liked to treat for movies when Kurt did get to socialize. Kurt tucked the card into his pants pocket and launched himself at his dad, embracing him in a big hug. "Thanks, Dad!"

Burt beamed and patted his son on the back, "You're welcome, kid. Now go have some fun, okay?"

Meanwhile, miles away, near Columbus, another boy the same age as Kurt was reluctant to be headed to Easton that day.

"It is cruel and unusual punishment to be making me work at mom's kiosk on a Saturday. On a sunny Saturday, no less. I was supposed to go hiking with Derrek ," he quickly tried to backtrack but it was too late, "Er, I mean a friend. My friend. A friend." Blaine let out a heavy sigh in defeat. He muttered under his breath, "Shit."

Ethan Anderson shook his head. He didn't care that his son just swore in front of him, or that he was supposed to be out with another boy. (It may have taken some adjustment, but Ethan did completely accept his son's sexuality.) No, Ethan was disappointed that his youngest son was trying to get out of helping his own mother. "Blaine, we're not making you do this so you can't spend time with Derrek." Hearing the other boy's name drop so easily from his father's mouth genuinely surprised Blaine who just stood there and gawked while his dad kept talking. "But this is the grand opening of your mother's hard work and she can't be there because her own mother is in the hospital. Do the right thing, son, and help your mother out."

He was right. Blaine knew he was right and instantly felt bad for trying to get out of it. Family first – always family first. Plus, he could see Derrek tomorrow. It's not like they were dating, though Blaine was hoping that's where their friendship (relationship?) was heading. He gave his dad an apologetic smile, "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll go get ready." It was Ethan's turn to sigh as he watched his son sprint up the stairs to change clothes and hopefully comb his hair.

...

After two hours of trying on dresses and not quite finding the perfect one, Mercedes persuaded Kurt that they needed a food break. He caved, but only because she promised that after they ate, he could pick the movie.

As they walked in the door to the indoor section of the enclosed section of the shopping center by the Build-a-Bear, something caught Kurt's attention. Or rather, something familiar was missing and something new was in its place. He kept looking back over his shoulder as they walked toward Auntie Annie's.

"Hey Mercedes..."

"Yeah, Boo?"

"Didn't there used to be a scarf kiosk there, in front of the movie theater?"

"Uh huh."

"Weird. I swear it was just there a couple weeks ago."

His confused look turned to surprise as Mercedes grabbed his arm and dragged him the rest of the way to the pretzel place. "Hey!"

Though Kurt and Mercedes were already past the Oakley store by now, Kurt's exclamation was loud enough to catch Blaine's attention. Something about that voice... He had to know whom it belonged to. He craned his neck so far that he almost fell off his stool.

Blaine steadied himself back on his perch next to his mom's new kiosk - Designs by Vanessa. It featured racks of necklaces and bracelets designed by his mom. There were some purses and brooches... certainly not anything that he would use or wear, but he was proud of his mom. Her designs were beautiful.

Face red with embarrassment, he looked around, hoping no one saw his near disaster.

Mercedes got her change back from the Auntie Annie's associate (she insisted on treating for the pretzels to thank Kurt for his fashion advice) and the two of them started walking around the inside of the mall, window shopping as they munched their pre-movie snacks.

...

Blaine was bored. A lot of people would eyeball his mom's pieces, but would keep on walking without stopping. Since he was stuck on that stool for another few hours, he tried to listen in on the conversations of the people around him, hoping to figure out who was the source of that mysterious voice from earlier.

After a few minutes of no luck, he thought he heard it again.

He snapped his head around in the direction of the voice and saw him. Blaine's jaw dropped.

Kurt was doubled over, laughing at something Mercedes said. "Stop it, Cedes!" She did a pretentious hair flip, causing Kurt to lose it again. His smile was so wide and in that moment, he was just really happy and having fun.

Blaine just stared. He didn't know who this boy and his friend (Girlfriend? He hoped not.) were, but he wanted to know. They looked like they were having such a good time with each other. Part of Blaine was intrigued. The other part was really jealous.

It was Mercedes who saw Blaine first. "Kurt, shh! People are staring at us!"

Kurt looked around and saw no one paying them any attention. He was used to that. His laughing subsided, but he still couldn't see whom, if anyone, Mercedes was talking about. "Who?"

Mercedes leaned in toward Kurt and through her teeth said, "That white boy with the fro at the new kiosk." She nodded over toward the new mystery kiosk in front of the movie theater.

Still getting out the last of his chuckles, Kurt turned to face the direction Mercedes had indicated. Whoever it was, he turned around so quickly as soon as Kurt looked over at him that he knocked over a rack of bracelets. Kurt couldn't make out his face, but he let out a little laugh out of secondhand embarrassment for whoever that clumsy kid was at the kiosk.

"Come on, Cedes, let's get to our movie." Kurt held out his arm and Mercedes looped hers in his and they strode to the theater.

Blaine was still picking up bracelets and muttering to himself as Kurt and Mercedes walked past. He glanced up at the same time that Kurt turned to look to see who it was at the kiosk. Hazel eyes locked tight to blue and both their jaws dropped a bit. Kurt quickly whipped his head back around to look in front of him. There was no way that kid at the kiosk was looking at him like that. He kept walking, reluctantly willing himself back to reality.

All Blaine could do was stare after the boy.

"Excuse me, how much is this?" An elderly woman was trying to ask Blaine about a necklace, but his attention was focused on the boy who just waked into the movie theater. "I said, how much is this?"

Blaine shook his head and snapped himself back to his present situation. "Oh, that's, um, $30." The woman frowned a bit, put the necklace down and walked away. "Have a nice day," Blaine said to no one in particular.

Inside the movie theater, Kurt and Mercedes settled into their seats and waited for the previews.

Time passed extra slowly for Blaine. He answered some questions and managed to sell a purse and a few broaches, but he was too preoccupied with thinking about the boy with the voice. He wondered what movie he and his friend were at and hoped he'd get the chance to see them again before his dad picked him up at 5:00.

Kurt was so into _Magic Mike_ that he forgot about the kiosk boy until he and Mercedes were walking out of the theater. Mercedes was asking him if he wanted to grab dinner as he checked the time on his phone. 4:46. As he lifted his head to suggest that maybe they first try another store for her dress, his eyes once again made contact with those of the boy at the kiosk. This time Kurt knew it wasn't a coincidence, but it was such a new experience for him, he didn't quite know what to do. People didn't just stare at Kurt Hummel, especially cute boys that appear to be in his age range.

Mercedes noticed both boys staring at each other. She grabbed Kurt's arm and announced loudly, "Come on, KURT." This sparked Kurt's attention and he started to sputter out a retort as she dragged him toward the exit. His face flushed red as he turned to get another look at the boy at the kiosk. The boy at the kiosk whose eyes were still following Kurt as he and Mercedes left the mall…

"Okay, are you in or are you out?" Mercedes asked Kurt. He looked at her with a thoroughly confused look. "Look, we can go back in there and you can get your flirt on with Sideshow Bob, or we can go dress shopping."

"Get my flirt on? Cedes, what are you – he wasn't – there's no way – I…" Kurt's face was still red as he looked toward the ground and shook his head, mostly at himself for his epic lack of courage at the moment. "No. No flirting. I can't." He sniffled, but then held his head high even though tears were threatening to well up. "Let's find you that dress, okay?" He put on as big a smile as he could.

Mercedes was visibly disappointed, but was not going to force Kurt to do anything that was going to make him even more uncomfortable. "Okay." She gave him a hug, which he reciprocated, and they held hands as they walked toward Lane Bryant.

Meanwhile, Blaine was still staring out the door that the boy and his friend walked out of, silently trying to will them to come back in. (Kurt. She said his name was Kurt.) After a few minutes, he resigned himself to the truth that he would never see that boy again. That was probably for the better. Blaine sighed and tried to think happy thoughts to get him through the end of his shift. At least he'd get to hang out with Derrek tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2 - Shopping With Purpose

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, I would have come up with new characters for Season 4 instead of Quinn 2.0, Rachel 2.0 and Puck 2.0)

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Chapter 2 – Shopping with Purpose

A week later, Burt called his son into the kitchen and held out his credit card. Kurt looked confused. For once, he wasn't planning on going out because the weather was crappy and he just felt like spending the day in his room reading.

"I need ya to do me a favor, kid. Carole's birthday is next week and I have no idea what to get her." Kurt could see a look of panic in his father's eyes. He sighed and took the credit card, nodding he understood what was being asked. "You're a lifesaver, Kurt."

Since he was being forced to go out, Kurt decided to take advantage of the situation and drive to Easton by himself. He liked shopping with Mercedes, but sometimes she just couldn't match Kurt's enthusiasm for the finer things in life. Before he left, Kurt got dressed in his favorite pair of skinny jeans, some black knee-high books and a blue shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. He grabbed a scarf on the way out the door and hopped into his car.

...

For the second week in a row, Blaine filled in for his mom at her kiosk. Her mother had taken a turn for the worse and Blaine offered his services before his dad even had the chance to ask. He didn't like being stuck on that stool all day, but he knew that it meant a lot to his parents, so he sucked it up and did his part.

He might actually have liked the job if what he was sitting on was slightly more comfortable. He sighed when he had to climb up onto the stool, wishing he'd miraculously hit a growth spurt so his feet would at least touch the ground. But no, his legs dangled as he looked around from his perch. He wondered if he'd see anyone interesting today.

Blaine found that sitting alone among a sea of people was one of the strangest feelings in the world. It was as if everyone had a purpose except for him. Well, unless you counted his purpose as being the one to answer questions from the handfuls of people that meandered over throughout the day. He secretly hoped business was better during the week. He hated to see his mom's work not being bought, or at least appreciated.

"Oh my god, this is beautiful!" Blaine's ear perked up. Someone was on the other side of his kiosk… but why did that voice sound familiar? He slid off his stool, thankful for the opportunity to stretch his legs, and wandered over to help his customer. He rounded the corner to find himself almost colliding into Kurt, who was holding one of his mom's necklaces.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I –," the words caught in Blaine's throat as he could do nothing but blink at Kurt. Each boy thought to himself that the other boy's eyes were so beautiful, and then both their faces blushed pink as they smiled awkwardly at each other. Clearly they both remembered each other from the week before and were surprised to be seeing the other boy so soon, let alone again.

Kurt quickly cleared his throat, closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows before he opened his eyes again and found some guts to talk to this other boy. "Um, hi." He gave a nervous smile. "I was just saying how this necklace is really beautiful."

Blaine's face involuntarily broke out into a crooked grin. "Thanks!"

Kurt cocked his head and looked up at the name on the kiosk then back at the boy in front of him.

"Um, are you… Vanessa?"

Blaine's eyes got wide, and then he looked up at the kiosk's sign and then back at Kurt. "What? No. Um, no. My mom made that necklace. Vanessa's my mom. She, uh, she made all this stuff. Or at least designed all this stuff. I think one of her friends sewed the purses." Blaine knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop himself. "Sorry, I'm rambling. Sorry." His ears turned red as he looked at the floor and ran a hand through his already messy hair. Kurt was pretty sure this boy was the most adorable person he had ever seen despite the fact that he was wearing cargo shorts, a t-shirt promoting a marathon that occurred several years prior and sandals.

"Well, your mom has exquisite taste," Kurt admitted, causing Blaine to look up and give an earnest smile. "I'd like to get this necklace, if that's all right with you?"

Blaine nodded, "Of course!" He turned to walk back toward his stool because that's where the cash register was, and then stopped when he saw that the other boy's attention was drawn to one of the displays. He saw the boy run his index finger over a Hippopotamus broach and watched as the corners of his mouth twisted into a small smile. Blaine was taken aback by the reverence this boy showed for that piece and couldn't help but smile to himself.

Kurt looked up and saw the other boy looking at him, "Sorry! I couldn't help it – that broach is genius. I know I already said this, but your mom is seriously talented."

"No, it's fine I'm sure she'll be really grateful to know that people appreciate her work. Seriously," Blaine said with complete sincerity.

The boys walked the short distance to the cash register. Blaine opted to stand so he didn't make a fool out of himself trying to climb up on the chair in front of Kurt.

"Um, that's going to be $32.13, including tax. Did you want to pay with cash, or –"

"- Credit card, please." Kurt handed over his dad's credit card.

Blaine took the card and covertly looked at the name before he swiped it. Burt Hummel. Burt? He wasn't 100% sure, but he thought that girl said his name was Kurt. Maybe he heard wrong… "Um, here you go, Burt."

Kurt looked at Blaine oddly as Blaine returned his credit card. Blaine nodded toward the card and Kurt's eyebrows raised in realization. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, yeah, no. Burt's my dad. I'm Kurt. Um, Kurt Hummel." His cheeks flushed pink again and he brought his hand up to fix his hair, which was not even one iota out of place.

So Blaine _had_ remembered correctly. "Kurt." He repeated the name, liking the way it rolled off his tongue. Kurt pursed his lips and nodded. Blaine realized he never introduced himself. "Well, I'm Blaine. Blaine Anderson." Kurt smiled, grateful to now have a name to go with that face.

That face.

The closer he stood, the more entranced he fell with the kind eyes and animated, yet completely sincere, features of this boy. This Blaine.

After the transaction was complete, Blaine offered to box and wrap the necklace for Kurt who said that would be great. There were a couple minutes of awkward silence while Blaine grabbed materials and wrapped the necklace in tissue paper. Kurt didn't know what he was supposed to do (or say), so he just kind of stood there and watched Blaine work. He noticed Blaine was extra careful handling the necklace and wrapped it gently, as if it were made of glass instead of twisted pieces of metal. He watched Blaine bite his lip as he tucked every corner of tissue paper into the waiting box, just so. Kurt couldn't help but smile as he watched Blaine's curls bounce every time he moved his head. Just as he began to wonder what it would feel like to run his fingers through Blaine's hair, Blaine turned to him with a smile. "There! All set!"

Kurt blushed and smiled back. "Thank you, it looks great. Carole will love this, though she'll know my dad had nothing to do with presentation."

Blaine's smile dropped – maybe he did too much. "Oh, I'm sorry. I can make it less, I don't know, less snazzy?"

Kurt shook his head, "No, no, no, it's perfect. I promise! She was going to know regardless that my dad didn't pick it out. He's got horrible taste in everything, but I still love him." Blaine smiled at Kurt's honesty.

They stared each other for a few seconds, neither one knowing what to say next. They were really good at awkward silences. Then, all of a sudden, a beeping sound came from one of Blaine's shorts' pockets. He fumbled for his phone and saw it was from Derrek "Hey. U busy?" For a fraction of a second, Blaine thought he should text back, but quickly decided to shove the phone back where it came from.

"I should go," Kurt finally said. Blaine was about to protest when a couple customers wandered up to the kiosk. "You're busy and I have taken up way too much of your time. It was nice to meet you, Blaine. Thank you for, um," Kurt held up the Designs by Vanessa bag with the wrapped necklace in it.

Blaine smiled and nodded. "It was nice to meet you too, Kurt. Um, see ya!"

Kurt smiled and turned around, then quickly walked out the door and to his car. He flung open the door and talked to himself as he hopped in and buckled his seatbelt. "See ya. He said see ya. Does that mean something? No… he was probably just saying it to say it. Right? Right…. Blaine." He smiled to himself.

Blaine finished out his shift by answering questions and sitting on his stool, staring into space and thinking about Kurt. His phone beeped again and he absentmindedly shoved his hand in his pocket to retrieve it. It was Derrek again. "I 4got ur at work. Wanna hang 2morrow?" Blaine sighed, smiled to himself and texted back "Sure. See ya."


	3. Chapter 3 - Let Downs

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, Tina would have more solos.)

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Chapter 3 – Let Downs

Earlier in the week, Mercedes asked Kurt if he wanted to go see the new Bourne movie that weekend. Kurt raised an eyebrow. Yes, he would gladly escort his best friend to the cinema... After enjoying Jeremy Renner's muscles in _The Avengers_, Kurt was all for seeing _The Bourne Legacy._

They hopped in Kurt's car, singing away at the songs on the radio. However, when it came time to get off the highway at the exit for the movie theater, Kurt kept driving straight.

Mercedes turned toward him with a confused look on her face. "Um, Kurt... You missed the exit."

His eyebrows shot up in realization, "Oh, crap! Sorry... It's just the past two weekends I've gone to Easton and I think my muscle memory took over."

Mercedes scoffed, "Right. Easton. Muscle memory. And would that muscle be in your pants, Kurt?"

"WHAT?!" The car swerved as Kurt whipped his head around to glare at his friend. "I don't even... What are you talking about, Mercedes?!"

"Let me break it down for you, Boo. Do you know how many times you brought up that boy from the kiosk this past week?"

"Blaine," he immediately corrected her, then realized he did and shut his mouth quickly before finally uttering quietly, "and no."

"A lot." Kurt's eyes were on the road, but his face flushed pink, knowing she was probably right. He did think about him an awful lot... He was just so different than any other boy he had ever met.

"Oh."

"Yeah... Oh." Mercedes dropped the sass and sighed. "Look, Kurt. It's okay to think he's cute, but I just don't want to see you get hurt. I mean, you don't really know him that well. Do you even know if he's gay?"

"Hey – you know, a couple weeks ago, you were the one who told me to go flirt with him! But, no, I don't know if he's gay." Kurt let out a heavy sigh. "This is stupid. I should turn around."

Mercedes could tell Kurt was upset. She pursed her lips and came to an executive decision. "No. Let's go to Easton and go to Tiffany's. We'll pretend we're in New York. And I'm sure the movie is playing there too, if you still want to go and ogle at Jeremy Renner's arms."

Kurt let out a laugh and broke into a small smile. "Okay. Let's do it!"

"And Kurt? I hope that boy... Blaine... I hope he's there. We could stop by and say hi. Maybe you could introduce us?"

Kurt nodded as he kept his eyes on the road.

...

The Designs by Vanessa kiosk was busy that Saturday. Maybe more people felt comfortable approaching the merchandise because a sullen teenager with unkempt hair wasn't guarding it.

Vanessa Anderson had spent several weekdays over the past two weeks manning her kiosk, but this was her first Saturday. Even though her son offered to work for her ("Really mom, it's not a big deal."), she felt that he deserved a Saturday to himself after helping out the past few weeks.

So, Blaine was at a roller rink with Derrek and Vanessa was busy at Easton. She was happy that people were so enthusiastic about her designs and that she could allow her son some time to spend with his friend (his boyfriend? Even though Vanessa and Ethan had reassured their son that they were more than okay with him being gay, he was not very vocal about his relationship status.).

"Have a great day!" Vanessa smiled and waved at another content customer. She pulled out a notebook from under her register and made note to bring additional purses and another batch of necklaces with her when she came back in on Monday. As she slid the notebook back under the drawer, she heard someone laugh nearby. She raised her head to see a boy and girl about her son's age, maybe a little older, walking toward the kiosk. She smiled as she could tell by their linked arms that they meant a lot to each other.

As Kurt and Mercedes approached the kiosk, he noticed that Blaine was not there and instead, there was a woman... And that woman was smiling at him. Though he was a little heartbroken not to see Blaine, he offered the woman as friendly a smile as he could muster up as he walked up to the kiosk.

"Hello!" Vanessa greeted the boy and girl, "Is there something I can help you find today?"

Kurt smiled but thought to himself, "Yeah, Blaine." Mercedes elbowed him in the side because he hadn't responded to the woman. "Um, just looking today, thanks. I bought a necklace last week for my dad's girlfriend. She loved it. I mean, how could she not? It was gorgeous." Kurt looked up and saw the woman beam. There was something about her smile that seemed so familiar. It finally hit him. "Wait. You're Vanessa, right? Blaine - I mean your son - said that you designed all the pieces." Kurt blushed, fearful he was rambling or coming across that he knew her or her son better than he actually did. He said quietly, "They really are very beautiful, ma'am."

Vanessa chuckled. "Why thank you...?"

"Kurt," Mercedes answered for him. "He's Kurt and I'm Mercedes, Mrs. Anderson. Your designs are lovely."

Vanessa smiled, "Thank you, dear."

There was a moment of silence that was only awkward for Kurt. He didn't really know anything about Blaine except that he was really charming and devastatingly handsome and had nice eyes (which Kurt now knew came from his mom - Dear Lord, Blaine's mom and her fashion sense were as stunning as her designs...). He wondered where Blaine was, or if he'd ever see him again.

Mercedes and Kurt were such good friends that she usually knew exactly what he was thinking... and knew he didn't have the guts to ask the questions that were gnawing away at him. She considered keeping quiet, but knew she had to say something because Kurt wouldn't. She knew he might get mad at her, but also knew there wouldn't be lasting repercussions. Mercedes took a deep breath, "So, will Blaine be coming in at all today?"

Kurt's eyebrows threatened to shoot up to his hairline and his cheeks turned pink as he clenched his teeth. He hated Mercedes in that moment and loved her at the same time.

Vanessa noticed Kurt's reaction, but since Mercedes was the one to ask the question about her son, she addressed the answer to her. "No, he's out with his, um, with a friend. He actually was never supposed to work here, he was just helping out the past few weeks because my mother was sick."

Kurt's face fell. Well, that answered that. Not only was Blaine out with someone who wasn't Kurt ("Why would it be me, though?" Kurt asked himself, "He barely knows I exist. And he's probably not even gay."), but he was never supposed to be at Easton anyway. Now that Blaine's mom was here to run her business, there was probably never a need for him to be there ever again. Kurt's heart was breaking over a boy he didn't even know, but he tried to save face. He looked Mrs. Anderson in the eye and said sincerely, "I'm sorry about your mother."

She smiled at his kind words but could tell something else was bothering him. "Thank you, dear."

Mercedes could tell that Kurt was upset, so once again she stepped in. "We should get going, Kurt, we don't want to miss our movie." She tugged his elbow and then addressed Blaine's mom again, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Anderson. Have a great rest of your day!"

Vanessa smiled and waved as Mercedes practically dragged Kurt away from the kiosk and into the lobby of the movie theater. She put her hands on both his shoulders and tried to look him in the eye, but he was too busy staring at the floor.

"Go get the tickets, I'll get the popcorn and M&Ms and then we are going to mix them together and look at lots of arm muscles, okay?"

Kurt nodded, but wouldn't look her in the eye.

After the movie, Kurt and Mercedes walked arm and arm out of the theater. Ogling Jeremy Renner's arms helped a little bit, but Kurt had a sad smile when they passed by Mrs. Anderson's kiosk. She was busy helping customers, so she didn't notice them leave.

...

That night, Vanessa walked into her kitchen with a big smile on her face. She was busy all day and sold out of some of her jewelry. Blaine was seated at the kitchen table, his back to her as she entered through the doorway.

"Hey, sweetie! I saw some of your friends at the mall today… Mercedes and Kurt, I think his name was… " Vanessa ruffled Blaine's hair as she passed. She knew something was wrong the moment he winced instead of gave her the usual "mo-o-om." She turned around, looked at her son and gasped. "Blaine, what happened to your face?!"

Blaine squinted up at his mom through his left eye, as his right was black and blue and swollen nearly shut. There were some scratches on his cheeks and neck and Vanessa noticed he was cradling his right wrist in his left hand.

When he didn't answer, she asked again. "Blaine Daniel Anderson, you answer me now. What happened to your face?" She went over to the freezer and grabbed an ice pack, which she wrapped in a paper towel and handed to her son.

"Thanks, mom." He took the ice pack with his good hand and pressed it to his eye, wincing all the while. "Um, I fell."

Vanessa wasn't buying it. "Try again, kid."

Blaine sighed and winced again. "I got in a fight."

"I can see that. Can I ask who with?," she inquired. Blaine muttered something under his breath but she couldn't make out what he was saying. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to speak up."

"Some kids from school. Look, it's no big deal, mom."

"No big deal? Blaine…" she closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. "Did you start the fight?"

"No!" She raised her eyebrows at him. He pulled the ice pack off his eye to try and look at her with both eyes, but to no avail. "Mom, I swear."

"You need to tell me exactly what happened."

He sighed again, knowing she wouldn't stop asking questions. "Fine. Derrek and I were leaving the roller rink and we were walking toward my car, but before we could get there… a group of guys got in my face and started calling me… stuff. Um… homophobic stuff." His voice was quiet but got louder as he pressed on. "And I didn't say anything, I just tried to ignore them and get to my car, but then one of them shoved me. And then I might have shoved him back a little, but then he knocked me to the ground and they did all this." Blaine pointed to his eye.

"Blaine. Who was it and what exactly did they call you?" She saw tears sneak out of the corners of her son's eyes. It hurt her to hear it as much as it hurt him to say it, but she had to know because she was thinking Blaine could probably press charges. "Sweetie?"

"Mom…," he choked out a sob and buried his face in his hands. "Why won't they just leave me alone? I didn't do anything wrong."

Vanessa grabbed a chair and pulled it next to her son so she could wrap an arm around his shoulders and rub some of the tension out of his upper arm. "It's okay, Blaine. It's going to be okay. We'll think of something. It's okay…"


	4. Chapter 4 - Awkward Friends

Author's Note - Thanks for reading... comments and reviews are more than welcome :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, Puck would help Klaine get back together.)

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Chapter 4 – Awkward Friends

Kurt wanted to slam his forehead into his car horn, but opted not to. It would probably give him a giant red mark on his face and he was not about to walk into Tiffany's looking like a hot mess.

On most other days, Kurt would be thrilled that he was going shopping. Not today.

The night before, Burt invited Carole and her son Finn (one of Kurt's peers in glee club, and a former crush… though that went nowhere since Finn was straight) over for dinner. After the meal, Finn uncharacteristically announced that he would help Kurt with the dishes. Once in the kitchen, Finn cornered Kurt and practically begged him to do Finn the favor of getting Finn a present for his girlfriend, Rachel. Rachel happened to be one of Kurt's frenemies, so he knew what she would like. Her birthday was the next week and Finn only just realized he hadn't gotten her anything, nor did he know what she would want.

Kurt rolled his eyes but took Finn's credit card and agreed to help Finn out. They shared an awkward hug and Kurt promised he would come through with the perfect present for Rachel. He double-checked Finn's budget for the gift and it was settled – Kurt would go to Easton the next day and get her a necklace from Tiffany's.

...

Blaine climbed up onto the stool at his mom's kiosk, almost grateful to be stuck in one spot the whole day. He could see out of both eyes, but still sported a noticeable shiner. The scrapes had healed, but his wrist was wrapped in an Ace bandage. He knew he looked like a mess, but he was safe in the mall. There were security guards everywhere and no one knew who he was or whom he liked.

The only bad thing about sitting on that stool for hours on end was that it gave him time to think. Think about last weekend. Think about what he thought was a date with Derrek, but how Derrek didn't "like him like that." Think about the fight on his way to his car. Think about how sick he was of getting picked on for being himself.

...

Kurt was craving carbs. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. There was no way he was going to be able to shop for Finn for Rachel without treating himself to a little somethin' somethin' first.

He swung open the door to the enclosed area of the mall and was about to head to Auntie Annie's when something, or rather someone, caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, geez."

His mind raced back to the week before when Mrs. Anderson said that Blaine wasn't really supposed to ever work at her kiosk. And yet, unless Kurt was hallucinating curly haired high school boys, there he sat with his chin in his hand, looking sad and alone.

Before he realized what he was doing, Kurt's legs walked him over to the kiosk. He saw Blaine do a double take and smile, making Kurt feel better about his decision. Kurt beamed in return, only to lose his smile once he got closer to the kiosk. His eyes widened when he saw the black eye. "Oh my God, are you okay?!"

Blaine's smile dropped as he looked at his wrapped wrist. He looked back up at Kurt, shrugged and gave half a smile. "Yeah?"

Kurt knew it wasn't his place to ask any specific questions. He barely knew the other boy and it wasn't fair to pry. "I'm not going to ask because it's none of my business, but whatever happened… I'm sorry."

Blaine's cheeks flushed pick and he looked down at the floor. "Thanks. And thank you." He looked back up at Kurt, eager to change the topic. "So, what brings you to Easton today? Need another necklace for your dad's girlfriend?" He tried to wiggle his eyebrows at Kurt, but winced because his face was still tender from the bruising.

Kurt's jaw dropped, pretending he was offended by the question (though on the inside he was beyond flattered that Blaine remembered something from their encounter two weeks ago). "No!" He laughed, "Though I am here to get something for my dad's girlfriend's son's girlfriend. It's her birthday next week and I'm supposed to be getting her a necklace at Tiffany's…. sorry… your mom's stuff is beautiful, but if I don't show up with a blue box…"

Blaine nodded in understanding.

There was a bit more awkward silence. Kurt decided to busy himself by looking touching a gentle finger to the latest designs that were displayed on the kiosk. He smiled. "I met your mom last week. I think I made as ass out of myself because I kept rambling on about how beautiful her designs are." He snuck a peak at Blaine out of the corner of his eye and saw the curly haired boy smiling at him. Kurt blushed and ducked his head. He saw the Hippo head brooch and was secretly thankful no one bought it yet because it was his favorite. He ran his finger along the shield-shaped backing of the brooch.

Kurt dared to look up again and saw Blaine was still staring at him. They both smiled at each other, acknowledging that they each knew he was looking. But, before either boy could say anything, a pair of older women sauntered up to the kiosk and started asking a barrage of questions. Most were about the merchandise; some were about Blaine and his appearance. Kurt's eyes grew wide as he overheard the women ask Blaine if he was beaten, then one made an offhand comment about maybe it was because he looked like a hooligan. Kurt wanted to butt in and tell the women to mind their own business, but couldn't. Instead, he took a deep breath and put his hand on Blaine's arm to get his attention. Blaine was surprised at first, and then his expression softened when he saw it was Kurt.

"Look, I have to go. But, um, if it's okay with you, I'd like to stop back later before I leave... to see how you're doing. Say goodbye?" Kurt looked at Blaine with hopeful eyes, hoping the other boy could understand that he didn't want to leave Blaine alone in this situation, but he didn't know how he could help either. Blaine nodded and sighed. Kurt gestured his head toward the old ladies and mouthed, "I'm so sorry. Good luck." Blaine gave a sad smile and shrugged.

Kurt walked toward the door to get to the exterior part of the shopping center and gave Blaine one last look over his shoulder. He just felt bad because the other boy just looked so defeated. The black eye probably made the situation look even worse than it really was, but something about the way Blaine tried to overcompensate and be all nonchalant about his injuries was just so familiar.

Blaine saw Kurt look his way before he left the indoor area of the mall. He didn't know why, but it made him feel better about himself, like maybe someone cared about - or at least acknowledged - his presence. He knew his parents cared. But it was different when someone your own age was there for you. A friend.

He smiled to himself. A friend. God, he really needed one right now, especially after losing one the week before. Blaine's face fell. He felt so dumb - he honestly thought Derrek was interested in him but he couldn't have been more wrong. And then the fight... Blaine's summer wasn't shaping up to be a great one.

...

Kurt was in and out of Tiffany's faster than he had ever been before. As he turned to head back inside the enclosed area of the mall to see Blaine again, he stopped. He realized he couldn't and shouldn't just run right back in. That would look desperate, right? Kurt closed his eyes for a moment. He liked Blaine. This actually scared Kurt a bit because he hadn't known the other boy for very long, yet the other boy was always in his thoughts. Kurt took a deep breath and tried to rationalize his feelings before he took another step. He liked Blaine, but he didn't know much about the other boy. He also didn't know if Blaine was gay. After a string of straight crushes, Kurt couldn't bear to go through another one. But, Kurt liked spending time with Blaine and if the other boy's genuine smiles were any indication, Blaine didn't seem to mind being around Kurt. That was something Kurt wasn't used to. A smile crept across his face. Kurt realized that at the very least, he had made a friend.

And if there was something Kurt knew how to do well - besides his ability to spot and sport the latest fashion trends – it was be a friend. He looked around and saw he was near Sephora. This gave him an idea.

Meanwhile, Blaine was thankful the imposing older women had left the kiosk. Even though they were rude to him, they marveled at his mom's bracelets and bought several apiece. He forced a smile and offered a civil parting as they left. After heaving an epic sigh, he had climbed back onto his stool and had sat there ever since.

Blaine helped the occasional customer, but found himself looking around the mall to see if Kurt was on his way back. He was eager to see his friend again, even though it had only been about an hour.

By time another hour had passed, Blaine wondered if Kurt was ever coming back. Maybe Blaine was over thinking this. Maybe Kurt had more shopping to do than just the necklace for his dad's girlfriend's son's girlfriend (boy, that was a mouthful). Blaine noticed Kurt was always dressed really well and was at Easton every Saturday for at least the last month. He probably liked to look in all the stores. But Kurt was the one who said he would stop back. And Kurt didn't seem like the kind of person who would say something like that and then not follow through.

While he was lost in thought, Blaine didn't see that Kurt was now, in fact, working his way through the crowds of other shoppers and walked toward him.

"Blaine!"

He snapped out of his stupor to find himself practically face to face with an equally flushed Kurt. "Oh! Hey, Kurt... I didn't think you were coming back." Blaine tried to pass it off as sarcastic teasing, but it came out more of a legitimate worry. He hoped Kurt wouldn't notice.

He did.

Kurt's heart broke a little bit, but now he was extra glad he made a few additional stops in between Tiffany's and then. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I left while those horrible women were here, but I didn't know what to do... " Kurt was desperately trying to find the right words. "It's just that I know we don't know each other very well, and I didn't want to impose..." He was still at a loss for the right words. I mean, you can't just ask someone if they're your friend, right?

Somehow Blaine seemed to know what Kurt was getting at. He, though, decided to forget tact for a fraction of a second and just go for it. After a deep breath, he asked, "Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but I'm going to ask anyway... Um, are you my friend?" Kurt's eyebrows shot up and Blaine's face burned bright red, yet he rambled on, "Wow, that sounded weird. And dumb, because I'd like to be your friend, I don't just expect you to just be _my_ friend... Ugh! What I mean is, are _we_ friends? Can we be friends?"

Kurt wanted to laugh because that was just about the most adorable diatribe he had ever heard. However, he couldn't laugh because he had been thinking the exact same thing, but he didn't have the guts to ask. Blaine did. Blaine asked to be friends. Blaine _wanted_ to be friends. So instead of laughing, Kurt gave a warm smile and nodded. "I would really like that." Blaine shot him a grateful look. "In fact, I was actually wondering the same thing, but I was too nervous to ask." Both boys chuckled. "This was really great timing them, because that makes this less awkward." Kurt held out a small Godiva bag toward Blaine. "Don't open it until you get home, but I thought this would maybe cheer you up a bit." Blaine was shocked, but he took the bag and smiled. Kurt added, "Look, I know we're officially friends and all now, but I'm still not going to pry about what happened, you know, to your..." Kurt gestured at Blaine's face and wrist. "But if you ever want to talk about it... Well, I'll probably be here next weekend. Okay?"

Blaine nodded and made a mental note to ask his mom if he could work the following Saturday. "Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt smiled, though that quickly faded. "Crap, I have to leave. I told my dad I'd be home for dinner."

Blaine took out his phone and looked at the clock. It was only 3:39.

Kurt laughed when he saw Blaine's look of confusion. "I live in Lima. It's a two hour drive if I stick to the speed limit."

"Oooooooooh." Blaine looked at Kurt, then down at the Godiva bag, then back up at Kurt. "I know I already said this, but thanks. And I guess I'll see you next weekend!"

...

That night when Blaine got home, he ran up to his room and opened up the Godiva bag. He was genuinely surprised to see more than just chocolate. I mean, there was chocolate – a bar each of milk and dark chocolate. But there was also a bottle of concealer, small bottles of shampoo and conditioner for curly hair, a stress ball that looked like a planet (maybe Neptune, Blaine thought to himself), and a handwritten note from Kurt. Blaine smiled and squeezed the stress ball as he read the note.

_Dear Blaine,_

_Whenever I'm down, I do a little retail therapy to help me feel better. Since you can't leave your mom's kiosk and I love shopping, I thought I would do some retail therapy for you. I know guys usually don't wear makeup, but I thought the concealer might help you avoid the third degree from rude old people. At least until your eye heals. I also overheard those ladies calling you a hooligan. Something is obviously wrong with them if they have anything nasty to say about your hair. However, have you ever used products specifically made for your hair type? I'm guessing no… give the stuff I put in here a try (or not - that's up to you… but I would seriously try it, it smells divine)._

Blaine stopped reading for a second and popped open the cap of the shampoo. He laughed – Kurt was right; it smelled like strawberries. He recapped the shampoo and continued reading the note.

_Since I don't really know you, I put milk and dark chocolate in here. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you've read Harry Potter or at least seen the movies. Eat the chocolate Blaine, it helps. And lastly, the stress ball. Everyone needs a stress ball. It's Neptune… the planet, not the God. Obviously J_

"I knew it!" Blaine was pleased with himself for knowing what planet it was. He squeezed the ball several times and looked at it. He was momentarily distracted by the color because it reminded him of Kurt's eyes.

Blaine shook himself back to the present and finished reading the note.

_So, even though I don't know what happened, I just want you to know that I'm sorry. You seem like a nice person and stuff like that shouldn't happen._

_Eat some chocolate and squeeze the stress ball._

_Sincerely,_

_Kurt_

Blaine put down the note and did as he was instructed. He smiled knowing that he would probably see Kurt the following week. Maybe not everyone hated him for being himself.


	5. Chapter 5 - Back to School Shopping

A/N: Thanks for reading! (I'm in the middle of chapter 11 now... so I think I can say I'm 99% sure there will be 12 chapters total by time this is done.) Comments/reviews are always welcome :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, Blaine would cover "Man in Motion" and there would also be tribute episodes to Electric Light Orchestra and The Killers.)

* * *

Chapter 5 – Back to School Shopping

Kurt shouted over his shoulder on his way out the front door, "I love you Dad!" He didn't even hear if his father responded as he flung open the door of his Navigator, jumped in and started the car.

Armed with two credit cards, Kurt was on a mission: talk to Blaine and finish his back-to-school shopping.

During the two-hour drive to Easton, Kurt almost made himself sick trying to come up with topics of conversation for him and Blaine. He hoped the other boy's eye had healed and even though he was desperate to know how it got that way to begin with, Kurt vowed to himself not to pry. He didn't want to scare away his new friend.

New friend.

...

Blaine didn't tell his mom why he offered to work at her kiosk again. Vanessa knew something was up when Blaine stopped talking about Derrek and thought that maybe her son was offering to work so he didn't have to deal with boy problems. It was killing her not to know what was going on inside her son's personal life, but she didn't want to pry because she didn't want to push him away. So, Vanessa allowed Blaine to take her car and drive to Easton. She loved her son; she just didn't know how to help him.

Blaine parked and walked inside the enclosed area of the mall. He unlocked the sides of the kiosk and flung up the shutters. He turned on the lights and made sure his mom's designs were neatly displayed. He climbed up onto his stool, closed his eyes and sighed. Biting his lip, he looked around and wondered if Kurt was going to show up today. He had a lot of time to think over the week and he decided he really wanted to talk to someone about what happened and even though he just met Kurt, he felt comfortable around him; like it was okay to be honest about who he was. Maybe he could ask Kurt if he wanted to get coffee or something. He could do that. It was just coffee.

...

After Kurt pulled into the parking lot, he wanted to jump out of his car and run straight to the Designs by Vanessa kiosk and say Hi to Blaine. But he didn't. Instead, he kept his seat belt on while he gave himself a pep talk. "Just calm down. You barely know the guy. You can go and say Hi, but then you need to get some school clothes." Kurt stopped talking to himself after he realized what he just said. He was convincing himself he had to take time to actually shop. His eyes widened as his brain caught up with his feelings. "Get a grip, Hummel and take Blaine off of the pedestal. He's your friend. Say Hi to your friend and then buy some clothes." Kurt took several deep breaths before finally unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of his car.

Blaine was just saying goodbye to a customer when he saw Kurt walking toward him. A huge smile sprouted across his face, "Hey Kurt!"

Kurt couldn't help but return the grin, especially because he was close enough to see Blaine's black eye was almost all the way gone. "Hi Blaine! I'm glad to see your eye is looking so much better."

"Yeah, it's healing pretty fast. But I have to thank you for it looking so good," Blaine leaned over and loudly stage whispered to Kurt, "see, I have some make up on." Kurt chuckled and his cheeks flushed pink. He was laughing at Blaine, but also tickled that Blaine used the concealer he gave him. As Kurt watched Blaine chuckle to himself at his own joke, Kurt could also tell that Blaine must have used the hair products too as his curly hair looked extra shiny and frizz-free.

There were a few moments of silence, but they weren't as awkward as times in the past. Both of the boys were thinking similar thoughts at the exact same time, though neither knew it. Each wished the other could hang out and just talk all day, but knew that wasn't a likely possibility. Kurt knew Blaine had to work, and Blaine figured Kurt didn't drive two hours just to talk to him. But Kurt had offered to listen if Blaine ever needed to talk.

They both started talking at the same time.

"I should let you get back –"

"Do you want to get – "

Both boys stopped before they finished their own sentences. Kurt silently hoped that Blaine would repeat what he was saying because if he wasn't mistaken, it sounded like Blaine was asking him a question.

He was.

"Um, I know I have to work, but do you, um, maybe want to get coffee later? I'm done with work at 4 and my mom let me borrow her car, so I don't have to go home right away."

Kurt nodded his head slowly, "Yeah, that would be great. I need to get some shopping done – you know, back to school clothes and stuff. But coffee, um, coffee would be great." He shot Blaine a small smile. "I should probably let you get back to work. But I'll meet you back here at 4?"

Blaine smiled and nodded. "Yeah. See you at 4."

Kurt lifted his hand to wave goodbye, but then quickly closed his hand into a fist and then tried to pretend he was flexing out his hand. (Who waves when you're still, like, four feet away from a person?!) He gave an embarrassed chuckle, smiled one last time at Blaine, and then walked away. Kurt checked his watch. It was just after noon. He sighed, but knew he could spend four hours shopping for clothes.

After Kurt walked away, Blaine pulled out his phone to check the time. It was just after noon. He sighed, and knew it was going to be a long few hours before he saw Kurt again. He hoped he had a lot of customers. Even rude customers would make the time pass faster than no customers at all.

Kurt went into several stores and busied himself by trying on everything in his size. He modeled clothes in the mirror, texting Mercedes some pictures of outfits he liked best. He didn't tell her about his upcoming coffee with Blaine because he didn't want her to make a big deal about it. He had already talked himself out of it being a date. It wasn't a date, it was just coffee. Coffee with a friend. Coffee with Blaine.

After a couple hours of trying stuff on, Kurt realized he should call his dad and let him know that he wasn't going to be home around 6:00 like he originally thought.

It took two rings for Burt Hummel to pick up the phone, "You okay, kid?"

Kurt smiled, "Yeah, dad, I'm fine. Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be able to make it home for dinner at 6:00. You guys can go ahead and eat without me."

"Should I be worried that you're going to be late, son?" Burt sounded concerned.

"No, dad, it's just that a friend asked if I would get coffee with him at 4:00."

"Him?"

Whoops.

"Kurt, you still there?"

"Yeah, dad. I'm still here."

"So, what is this, um, a date, or something?" Burt tried to sound casual, but Kurt could sense a hint of panic in his dad's voice.

Kurt's face flushed red even though his dad couldn't see it. "No, dad, he's just a friend. He works at the mall. His mom designed the necklace you gave Carole for her birthday a few weeks ago?"

The phone went silent, but Kurt somehow knew that his dad was nodding.

"Okay, kid." There was a pause. "Look, we'll miss you at dinner, but have fun with your friend, all right? We'll see you tonight. I love you, son."

"I love you too, dad. Bye."

Kurt clicked the "end call" button on his phone.

...

As it neared 4:00, Kurt hauled his purchases to his car so he wouldn't have to deal with any bags when he met back up with Blaine. He was pleased with the clothes he found and knew exactly how to incorporate them into his already massive wardrobe.

After composing himself and giving himself another little pep talk ("It's just coffee with a friend."), Kurt headed back into the enclosed area of the mall and saw that Blaine turned off the lights at the kiosk and was closing the shutters.

"Need any help?" Blaine turned around to see Kurt standing behind him. He smiled.

"Sure! You wanna hand me a couple of those locks near the register?" Blaine motioned around to the other side of the kiosk. Kurt walked over and saw several numbered locks sitting ready to be fastened over by the register. He grabbed the locks labeled "1" and "2" and carried them over to Blaine. "Thanks!"

Kurt helped Blaine finish shutting the shutters and locking up. "Since you've been stuck in here all day, do you want to get out of here? There's a coffee shop a few miles down the road."

Blaine was grateful for the suggestion. "That would be awesome. Can I follow you in my car?"

Kurt nodded and they walked out to the parking lot together in a nervous silence that was broken when they realized they were parked next to each other. They laughed and got in their respective cars, acknowledging that they would see each other in a few minutes.

Once they were at the coffee shop, they walked in together and placed their orders. Though the paid for their own drinks, and in Blaine's case, some biscotti, each boy made a mental note of the other's coffee order. When they got their drinks, they wandered over to an empty table in the corner.

It was awkward at first. They made small talk about the heat and the poor quality of summer television. Kurt took a long sip of coffee, trying to give himself a moment to think of something more substantial to say, but Blaine beat him to it.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurt swallowed and nodded at his friend, wondering where this was going. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Kurt was thankful he had already swallowed his sip of coffee because the earnestness of Blaine's voice and the vulnerability he was showing would have made Kurt choke. Kurt looked at Blaine was almost a pained look. "Why wouldn't I be nice to you? You're a nice person."

Blaine lowered his eyes and looked at the table. "I'm sorry, that was a dumb question."

Kurt waned to reach across the table so badly and put a reassuring hand on Blaine's, but he didn't dare. "Hey. Hey." Blaine looked up at him. "Don't do that. I haven't known you for very long, but I have noticed that you always do that."

"Always do what?"

"Apologize when you ask something you think you shouldn't have asked."

Blaine's cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry." Kurt raised his eyebrows, causing Blaine to chuckle. "Sorry. Shit. I can't help it!" He was genuinely smiling at this point, as was Kurt. "Um, Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

Blaine sighed. "Last week you said that if I needed to talk about," he gestured to his face, " that I could talk to you."

Kurt nodded. "Uh huh." He still wasn't going to pry.

"I got beat up…" he took a deep breath and let it out, then almost whispered, "because I'm gay."

Kurt clenched his teeth and his eyes widened. There was a horrible mix of relief and heartbreak happening in his chest. He swallowed hard and fought back tears he knew were threatening to well up. He looked at the boy across from him, whose eyes were cast back down at the table, as if he were ashamed of his confession. Kurt needed Blaine to know he was okay. "I'm sorry, Blaine. No one deserves that." Kurt swallowed and offered his own confession, hoping it would help Blaine understand that he wasn't alone. "My bullies toss me into dumpsters or shove me against lockers. That how I, um, knew the concealer would help with your bruises."

Blaine looked up at Kurt with tears in his eyes, his chest heaving from trying to internalize all his emotions. "You too?" Kurt nodded.

As initially painful as it was for each boy to confess to the other that he was bullied for being gay, this shared experience erased any remaining shred of awkwardness that was looming about. In that instant, their friendship was bonded by something very few of their peers understood. Blaine had been around other gay guys his age before (as upset he was about the whole Derrek snafu, he realized he was lucky to have had a confidant before), but Kurt hadn't - at least none that were open about it (though he had a feeling there were probably some closeted kids at his high school). He didn't realize how much he needed the opportunity to talk with someone who just got it, someone who just knew what he was going through. Someone who asked himself the same awful question he did everyday - "Why can't people just accept me for who I am?"

Conversation flowed freely between the boys. They segued to more cheerful topics and talked about favorite books and movies. Kurt almost fell out of his chair when Blaine started gushing over his love of _Vogue _and how he especially loved the cover that featured Marion Cotillard. ("What?! Oh my god, me too!"). You couldn't smack the smiles off of their faces; they were just so happy that they found a friend who they could laugh with, or wouldn't judge him if he talked about finding another guy attractive.

"So tell me, Kurt. How do you not get bored shopping at the same mall every week?"

Kurt brought his coffee up to his lips and blinked a few times, stalling before he answered. He knew Blaine was probably genuinely interested in his response but he couldn't help but think (hope?) that there was a subtle hint of flirting happening. After taking a sip of his drink and swallowing, Kurt gave Blaine a small smile and shrugged. "There are better stores here than any strip mall near where I live. I've been coming here a lot since I got my license…" Kurt's eyes found Blaine's but then lowered toward the table as he confessed quietly, "Plus it's kinda nice having someone to talk to."

It was one thing for Blaine to secretly hope Kurt liked coming to the mall talk with him, but it was another to actually hear the other boy vocalize it. That made everything real.

The silence between them should have been more awkward, but it wasn't. Two sets of cheeks flushed pink as they both took sips of coffee. Both boys were growing fonder of the other; thankful for this newfound friendship of kindness and understanding. Both boys also found themselves liking the other one; enamored by his strength to keep going after being bullied, attracted to the other's inner and outer beauty, and just completely smitten with the fact that his new friend is ridiculously adorable and quirky. This caused momentary feelings of panic within each of their chests. Though the friendship was new, it was already very precious and dear to them. If one boy made a "more than friends" pass at the other this early on, he could potentially ruin what they had just started. Neither boy wanted to compromise their friendship with the other, and each was too scared to make a first move (though he desperately hoped the other one would).

It started getting late and Kurt still had a two-hour drive ahead of him, so he was forced to end their coffee non-date. Blaine understood and walked with his friend out of the shop and toward their cars.

Though Kurt really meant to leave right then, they ended up talking for another fifteen minutes or so. It wasn't until Kurt's phone buzzed with a text from his father that they realized how late it actually was.

"Oh, crap. I gotta go. But, um, are you going to be working again next weekend?"

Blaine nodded, "Yeah, I told my mom I would do her weekend shifts so she could be with her mom" (who was already out of the hospital and doing better at this point, but Kurt didn't have to know that...). He shrugged, "So I'll be in my usual spot if you happen to be at Easton and wanted to stop by..."

Kurt smiled. "Well, I'm sure if I'm here, I will make sure to say Hi."

"Bye, Kurt."

"See you next week, Blaine."


	6. Chapter 6 - A Day at the Mall

A/N: For those of you who don't know, Easton is a real mall near Columbus. I tried to make this fic as geographically accurate as possible (not that that matters in the long run, but having lived in Ohio for 20 years, Glee sometimes is frustrating with it's lack of geographic accuracy).

As always, comments/reviews are welcome and appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, the only adults on the show would be Burt Hummel and Coach Bieste.)

* * *

Chapter 6 – A Day at the Mall

With his mind almost constantly on his new (super cute!) curly-haired friend from the mall, Kurt completely forgot that Mercedes was spending the weekend at his house. When she showed up on Friday night, armed with a caddie of nail polish, an overnight tote and her sleeping bag, Kurt was initially surprised and then felt horrible for not remembering their plans.

Mercedes took one look at her friend's panicked face. She rolled her eyes and brushed past him into the house and down the stairs that lead to his room. "I'm going to ignore the fact that you forgot about me, but only if you tell me all about him while you give me the best damn manicure ever." Kurt's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he shut the door and ran down the stairs after Mercedes.

"Cedes, I swear I did not forget about you!" She shot him a "bitch, please" look as she threw her stuff in the corner of his room. "Okay, maybe I did - and I am so, SO sorry - but I'm also really glad that you're here! Really!"

Mercedes sighed, but gave Kurt a sweet smile. "I know. I just wanted to give you a hard time about your boyfriend." her smile turned into a grin as Kurt's face flushed bright red. Pleased with herself for embarrassing Kurt, she looked away and started digging through the nail polish. "So, do you think I should go neon or metallic for the first day of school?"

Kurt spoke quietly, "He's not my boyfriend. He's a boy and he's my friend, but he's not my boyfriend." Mercedes looked up and saw Kurt just standing there with a defeated look on his face. She knew that look well. She used to have that look on her face during the brief time in their friendship when she wanted to date Kurt.

She put the bottles of polish down and walked over to Kurt. She put a hand on his shoulder and guided him over to the bed where they both sat down. "You wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head no, but the tears in his eyes betrayed him. Mercedes rubbed soothing circles on Kurt's back as he breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. In his head, he was belittling himself for feeling so attached to this boy he barely knew. Friends. They agreed they were friends. Kurt thought Blaine had flirted with him, but told himself that he must be reading into things - be projecting what he wanted to happen instead of what was actually happening.

After a few minutes of silence, Kurt spoke up. "I like him, Cedes. I do. But there's no way he feels the same way. I mean, we're friends, so he must like me on some level, but he doesn't 'like me like me.' But at the same time, I don't want my feelings to get in the way. It's nice to have someone who knows exactly what I'm going through, you know?"

"No, I don't," she responded softly, but matter-of-factly. "Look, before you remembered that we were having a sleepover, what were your plans for this weekend?"

Kurt lowered his head and mumbled something toward his feet.

"You're going to need to speak up, white boy."

He heaved a heavy sigh. "I was going to drive to Easton..."

"... Because?"

Wow. Mercedes was really going to make him admit how pathetic he felt. "I was going to drive to Easton to see Blaine because he asked if I was going to go shopping again and if I was to stop by and say Hi."

She raised her eyebrows at his confession. As much as she didn't want her best friend getting heartbroken over some boy, she was more afraid that he was going to over-think himself out of something good. Even if this Blaine kid didn't "like like" Kurt, there was obviously something there. Every time Kurt and Mercedes spoke on the phone over the past few weeks, she noticed that Kurt sounded happier... like some sort of weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. She had a feeling it was because of Blaine, but she just needed a way to make sure.

"Well, you're still going to Easton tomorrow." Kurt whipped his head around to look at Mercedes. A confused look was painted all over his face. "And I'm coming with you. I still need to meet this boy and you need to see him before school starts on Monday." Kurt's eyes widened. "Oh come on, I can read you like a book, Kurt!" His cheeks flushed pink and a small smile crept across his face.

"Thank you, Mercedes."

She kisses him on the cheek. "You're welcome." She smacked both of her palms on her knees. "Now, you owe me a manicure! I can't have my nails looking janky when I meet the competition tomorrow." Kurt groans and rolls his eyes. "What? You said he was your friend... Well, I gotta let him know that my friend only associates with the classiest of people."

...

Vanessa was worried when she saw her youngest son lying on the couch reading a book at 8:39 pm on a Friday. She wrinkled her brow, hoping her son wasn't sick or something. "You okay, honey?"

Blaine was startled, not by the question, but by the sound of a voice. He thought he was home alone. Apparently not. "Oh! Hey, mom... You scared me. Um, I'm fine. Just reading." He lifted his book in the air for proof, even though he knew she already saw him with it.

She crossed the room and sat on the couch near his feet. He curled his legs a bit to give her more room. "I gotta be honest, B, I'm a little worried about you. Your probably the only teenager I know who is home on his last Friday night before the new school year. And you offered to work for me tomorrow. On a Saturday. Again."

Blaine sighed. He could tell she was digging for answers he wasn't sure he wanted to give. He was worried too. Worried about starting a brand new school. Worried that even with a strictly enforced zero-harassment tolerance policy, he wasn't going to be accepted. Worried that he wouldn't make friends. Worried that he was going to keep worrying until he graduated and could leave Ohio.

His parents told him earlier in the week that they had pulled him from public school and enrolled him at Dalton Academy. He had heard of the school, but never thought he would ever go there. His mom sat him down while his dad handed him a stack of pamphlets and folders containing information about where he would likely spend the rest of his high school career. His eyes welled up as he scanned the material. His parents were still talking, but he wasn't really paying attention. He heard words like "safe" and "tolerance" and phrases like "anti-bullying" and "doing what's best for you." He finally looked up at them through tear-filled eyes only to see their eyes were glassy too. They gave him the option of if he wanted to board there or just commute from home. He immediately choked out, "Commute. I want to commute." Blaine had no friends at his new school (well, not yet, anyway); he didn't want to be without family too. He launched himself out of his chair and buried himself in the arms of his parents. They whispered soothing words of love and reinforcement and that everything would be all right as his sobs lessened to silent tears of uncertainty for his immediate scholastic future.

"I'm okay mom. I'm...," he took a deep breath, shook his head in defeat and decided to let her in, "I'm scared. I'm nervous about going to Dalton. Like, I know I'll probably be safe there, but I'm still afraid that people aren't going to like me because I'm... me." He sat up as he saw his mom open her mouth to respond, but he stopped her before she could get even one word out. "Please don't say it mom. Please don't promise me that everyone will love me, because they won't. I love you and dad so, so much and can't thank you enough for accepting me for who I am." Blaine's voice was filled with such pain that his mom couldn't help but choke out a sob. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. She knew she couldn't offer any words of comfort, so she hoped her son could feel the unconditional love, pride and concern she had for him. He spoke into her shoulder, "I'm just so tired of being someone else's punching bag."

They sat like that for a little while until Vanessa unlatched her arms from around her son and used them to hold him at arms length. "Listen to me. You are a smart, thoughtful, handsome boy. People who don't bother getting to know you because of who you love are assholes. Okay?" This earned Vanessa a small smile from her son. "Now, I know you are worried about going to a new school, but have courage, my little lion." She smiled and brushed Blaine's hair out of his eyes, then leaned in and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

Blaine sniffled to clear his nose. "Thanks, mom. Really."

"You know, sweetie, I know you offered to work tomorrow, but why don't you take the day for yourself? Go see a movie or something?"

He sighed and was torn. As much as he didn't want to sit on that stupid stool the whole day, he knew he had to be there if he wanted to see Kurt.

Kurt! How could he have forgotten about Kurt?

Blaine smiled to himself at the thought of his friend... Maybe he wasn't alone after all. Kurt liked him for who he was. Blaine felt a tug at his heart, finding himself wishing Kurt liked him the way he liked Kurt.

"Um, mom? If you are so insistent that I don't work tomorrow, can I still drive to Easton with you? I might have, uh, told, uh K-, a customer that I would be there this Saturday. I can go to a movie there. And maybe we could have lunch or something?

She gave her son a faux-stern look, knowing he was withholding information. She didn't want to pry, but she hoped he wanted to be at the mall for a good reason. She finally nodded, "All right. But you're driving."

Blaine smiled.

...

Kurt pulled up on the emergency brake in his car and turned the ignition off. He turned to look Mercedes in the eye. "Thank you for doing this."

She shot him a small smile. After Kurt fell asleep last night, Mercedes tossed and turned, her own thoughts keeping her awake. She didn't even know this Blaine kid, but Kurt seemed to be really into him. She still felt a little guilty from a few weeks ago when she tried to talk Kurt out of getting too emotionally involved with someone he didn't know. Kurt was right to call her out for being a hypocrite - she was the one who initially tried to convince Kurt to flirt with the boy at the kiosk. She knew she only tried to push him because she didn't think he would actually do it. But then Kurt went back to the mall a few more times without her and he did get to know the boy better. He and Blaine could relate on a level that she and Kurt never could. She was jealous, and from that jealousy spawned teasing. But last night she went too far. After almost sending her best friend into tears, she realized she needed to make things right. She didn't know Blaine, but she knew he was becoming more and more important in Kurt's life. She wanted Kurt to be happy, and if Blaine could help with that, then she had to accept him. Mercedes was worried that Kurt spending time with Blaine would ruin her relationship with Kurt. It took her awhile, but Mercedes finally realized that if she loved Kurt (which she did), then she should do everything in her power to make sure he knew that.

They hopped out of Kurt's Navigator, linked arms and strode toward the mall. Kurt had a smug grin on his face that couldn't be wiped off...

... until they entered the enclosed mall area and he saw Blaine's mom at the kiosk.

Kurt's smile fell into a frown as he and Mercedes slowed to a stop.

"I don't get it...," Kurt started with a confused tone. "I asked him if he was working today and he said yes so his mom could be with her mom... Oh, god. I hope her mom is okay!"

It hurt Mercedes to see her best friend's hopes get dashed so quickly but still be so compassionate that he completely forgot about his own disappointment to wonder about the health status of Blaine's grandma. She knew Kurt was more than just interested in Blaine; he was emotionally invested.

"Um, do you want to go, Kurt? Since Blaine isn't working?

Kurt shook his head slowly. "No, I should say something to his mom. See if she's okay."

He started waking over to the kiosk and Mercedes followed closely behind. When they reached Vanessa, her back was turned as she was putting more necklaces on a display. Though he only got a quick glimpse, Kurt noticed how beautiful they were, each featuring a small pendant at their base. He discreetly cleared his throat, trying to get Vanessa's attention.

Vanessa started to address him before she turned around, "Good morning! And how are you - oh!" She turned and found herself facing vaguely familiar faces from a few weeks ago. She thought they were Blaine's friends. "Hi there!"

"Um, hi Mrs. Anderson. We met a few weeks ago... I'm Kurt and this is my friend Mercedes."

She smiled widely, remembering the two. "It's nice to see you again. Are you two looking for Blaine? He should be around here somewhere."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, not catching the end of her sentence. He was more confused as to why she was so happy. How can someone be that happy with an ailing mother?

"I'm sorry about your mother."

It was Vanessa's turn to look confused. Her mother was fine and had been for a few weeks now, thank goodness. Why did this sweet boy feel the need to apologize about her mother? "I'm sorry?"

Kurt started rambling, "Oh, um, Blaine said that your mom was in the hospital, so that's why he had been filling in here the past few Saturdays... I'm sorry if I'm overstepping."

Mercedes stayed silent by Kurt's side through the whole exchange, so she didn't see Blaine approaching the kiosk from behind her and Kurt.

Vanessa saw her son approaching and tried to piece things together in her head, but was coming up short. "Oh, BLAINE told you that."

"Blaine told who what?" Blaine asked as he handed his mom a bottle of water. He the turned to see whom she was addressing and saw that it was Kurt and his friend. His jaw dropped before he could stop it. "Oh, hey Kurt! Mercedes?"

Mercedes nodded, indicating he had gotten her name right on the first try. "Hi Blaine. Nice to finally meet you." She stuck out her hand for him to shake. He looked her in the eye, then eyed her hand and shook it. As he shook it, his eyes found Kurt's and he was suddenly filled with a feeling of panic.

Vanessa watched the entire interaction between her son and his peers. She saw the way his eyes lit up when he saw Kurt, and then widened as he realized Kurt was talking to his mom who seemed to already know Kurt. He was confused, embarrassed, and smitten all at the same time. Vanessa didn't really know who this Kurt boy was, but apparently he was important to her son.

"So Blaine, since you're not working, do you want to hang out with me and Kurt today?" Mercedes addressed the boy who was still shaking her hand. Kurt's eyebrows flew up and he separated his friends' hands.

"Yeah... Um, could you excuse us just one second?" Kurt grabbed Mercedes's arm and yanked her a few feet away before he hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Asking your boy to hang with us. I wanted to meet him, he doesn't have to work, and now you can spend the whole day with him. I'm doing this for you, Kurt. Just go with it."

Vanessa watched Blaine watching Kurt and Mercedes talking. "Hey, B?" Blaine looked over at his mom. "Come here for a sec." Casting one last glance over toward Kurt, he walked over to his mom.

"I'm sorry, mom, I shouldn't have-"

She shook her head and cut him off. "Just answer one thing for me, okay, with a yes or a no. Is that boy the reason you are so insistent on working Saturdays now?" Blaine's eyes got big, but he eventually gave a small nod. His mom smiled and then she grabbed her purse off the kiosk and started digging around in it. "I want you to spend the day with your friends. I want you to enjoy your last weekend before school starts. I want you smiling on the drive home, do you understand me?" He nodded again; eyes round as saucers. He thought she would be mad, but instead she was shoving a wad of cash into his hand. "Now go."

Blaine looked down at the money in his hand, almost overwhelmed. He gave a sad smile then looked into his mom's eyes." Thanks, mom. I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too, sweetie." He turned to start walking toward Kurt and Mercedes. "Hey B!" He spun back around to face his mom. "We'll be talking about this later." His cheeks flushed. "Have fun." He pivoted on his feet and almost jogged over to join his friends, praying they didn't hear his mom.

"So," Kurt said. "Let's just pretend that none of that was awkward and we'll go from there, okay?" Everyone nodded and they walked outside.

...

As a group, they decided to take turns picking which store or activity they would do next. Mercedes asked for there to be a time limit for each store so that they didn't get stuck in one place too long. Blaine didn't know Mercedes very well yet, but was secretly thankful for her suggestion. Kurt rolled his eyes but agreed. "Fiiiiiiiiine. But it's so hard to try on everything when you only have 30 minutes."

Blaine insisted Mercedes pick the first store and she immediately chose Claire's because she needed new earrings for school. Though he never would have stepped foot in that store unless forced, Blaine eagerly followed the other two around, gladly offering comments and opinion when asked. It was nice to feel included. It was nice to spend time with Kurt.

It was Kurt's turn to pick next, so he opted for Nordstrom, claiming he had a couple last-minute items to pick out to complete his back-to-school wardrobe. Out of the corner of her eye, Mercedes saw Blaine's jaw drop. She chuckled as she linked her arm in his. The gesture startled him at first, but he quickly smiled at her as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "My boy likes to shop. But that's not the only reason he's been coming here so much lately. You feel me?"

Blaine's cheeked flushed pink as he curled his lips in on each other. He hoped she was telling him the truth because it would mean that maybe, just maybe, Kurt felt the same way about him that he felt about Kurt. He wondered what else Mercedes knew. He wondered if Kurt ever talked about him. Even though she intimidated him, Blaine hoped he could talk with Mercedes later while Kurt was distracted trying on clothes.

He was surprised how soon he got what he wished for.

As soon as they got in the store, Kurt started to walk toward the men's department. Blaine went to follow, but Mercedes held tight to his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looked down at her hand keeping him in place and shot a look over toward Kurt.

"Cedes, unhand him."

She shook her head. "Nope. You picked the store so you obviously have something you need here. I need Blaine's help picking something out for my cousin."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I can help you with that."

"Nuh huh." She kept a grip on Blaine's arm. "Look at what you're wearing." They all looked at Kurt's outfit - impeccably tailored black pants and a perfect fitting lightweight sweater that matched his eyes. "Now look what he's wearing." Everyone's eyes shifted to Blaine. He had on cargo shorts and a Captain America t-shirt.

Kurt squinted his eyes while eyeing Blaine up and down. "Which cousin?"

"Jermaine."

Kurt pursed his lips. "Fine. I'll be by dress shirts and accessories. Come find me when you're done."

Mercedes smiled and dragged Blaine away.

"Don't I get any say in the matter?" Blaine asked as he was being dragged down some seemingly random aisle.

"Nope."

Blaine looked around and saw they were in the little kid's section.

"Um, how old is your cousin?"

"Five." They stopped walking and were now surrounded by a sea of children's clothes.

"Oh."

"Jermaine likes comic book people, but I already got him a Hawkeye action figure. I just wanted to talk to you and figured I could use your scrubby taste in clothes, no offense, as an excuse to have you come with me instead of Kurt."

Blaine was slightly insulted about her comment about his clothes, but had to admit she was right in how Kurt would react. "Um, I actually wanted to talk to you too, so this worked out nicely... Except for the part where you made fun of my outfit."

"Boy, you are too cute to be wearing that shirt. I'm not saying you need to dress like Kurt, but you could probably step it up a bit. Kurt's worth the effort." Blaine's ears burned red as he clinched his teeth and looked at the floor. "Look, he's my best friend and I've seen him hurt before. I wanted to see what your intentions were with my boo."

"I...," Blaine didn't know where to start because he wasn't 100% sure what he wanted or expected out of his friendship with Kurt. He sighed. "I like Kurt. He's my friend and I like spending time with him..."

"But?"

"But he's too good for me? I don't deserve to have him as my friend, let alone anything more! Would he even want anything more with me?" Blaine was asking questions Mercedes already knew the answers to.

"God, you two are like a broken record of self-loathing."

Blaine's eyes widened. "What?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes and leaned in close, even though no one else was in the area. "Look, I should not be the one telling you this, but since you're obviously as oblivious as my boy Kurt, I'm gonna spell it out for you. He likes you. And I don't know you that well, but I think you like him. So man up, and tell him."

Blaine's cheeks flushed bright red as he stared at the floor. "It's not that easy. He's my friend and I... I don't really..." Mercedes waited patiently for him to finish his thoughts. Blaine sighed and shook his head. "I don't really have any friends and I'm scared that if I tell him I like him, it'll get weird and ruin our friendship. As much as I like him, I just really need a friend right now. I just don't want to lose him."

Mercedes rubbed a soothing hand on Blaine's back. He just sounded so defeated. "It's okay, Blaine. It's okay. You're lucky to have Kurt as your friend, trust me, I know." Blaine looked up at her and gave her a small teary smile. "And Kurt's lucky to have a friend like you. He was lonely too, you know. Until he met you." A couple tears slid down Blaine's cheeks. Mercedes couldn't take the crying anymore, so she tried to lighten the mood. "Kurt knows I'm all sorts of fabulous, so you got a lot of catching up to do, okay?" She ruffled his curls and he smiled while ducking away. "You ready to go back?

Blaine sniffled and tried to fix his hair as he nodded. He was surprised that he didn't feel more embarrassed for breaking down like that.

Kurt was in the fitting room when he heard Mercedes call out his name. "I'm in here, Cedes! Check out these -" He flung open the fitting room door to find himself face-to-face with a bug-eyed Blaine. "Pants."

"Oh! Hey!"

Kurt was equally stunned to see Blaine so he didn't notice Blaine's gaze drop quickly to his pants and the quickly back up to his face. Those pants fit Kurt like a glove and for a brief second, Blaine forgot all about his "just need a friend right now" speech he gave Mercedes mere minutes prior.

"Um, nice pants?"

Kurt's eyebrows rose in horror. "Thanks. I'll be... I'll be right out." He disappeared into the fitting room and locked the door. Taking deep breaths, he took his time to put his own clothes back on. As he sat on the bench in the room to tie his boots, he noticed someone sitting on the floor from across his fitting room. The cargo shorts, sandals and tanned, hairy legs indicated the person waiting for him was not Mercedes. "Blaine?"

There was a beat. "Yeah?"

"You didn't have to wait for me." He stood up and opened the door, fully clothed, but with a sizable armload of garments he intended to purchase, including the pants he just accidentally showed off to Blaine. "I mean, don't you have any back to school shopping you need to get done? Or does Nordstrom not have the right kind of cargo shorts for your fashion needs?" Kurt meant for his last question to be teasing as opposed to malicious, but Blaine took it to heart a little bit. He knew he didn't dress as well as Kurt and wondered if that was something that mattered to Kurt. Like, maybe he should make more of an effort with his appearance.

"Um, I don't have to do any back to school shopping. My school has uniforms."

Kurt was confused. The other week Blaine told him he went to a public school. "I didn't know public schools had uniforms, how awful."

Blaine shook his head. "I'm, uh, transferring. My parents are putting me in a private school with, um, a zero-harassment tolerance policy."

Blue eyes widened as Kurt realized things were probably worse for Blaine than he initially thought. And here he was, thinking just about clothes. He felt guilty as he looked down of the stack of shirts and pants in his arms. "I'm sorry, Blaine. I didn't know..."

Blaine shrugged. There was nothing to be done. "I only just found out the other day. And hey, maybe the uniform will be a step up from my weekend couture?"

They both laughed and any awkwardness was diffused.

Mercedes was hanging up her phone and walking toward the boys, smiling to herself about how cute they looked together. "Hey Blaine!" He looked over at Mercedes and smiled when he saw her. "Your turn to pick."

His stomach growled. "I pick food."

...

They entered the enclosed area of the mall again. As they walked passed his mom's kiosk, Blaine told Kurt and Mercedes they could go ahead with out him and he would join them in a few minutes. He wanted to check in with his mom and see if he could get her anything since last night he had agreed to have lunch with her before his plans changed.

"Hey mom!"

Vanessa beamed, secretly thrilled that her youngest son was not one of those high school boys who wouldn't be caught dead speaking to his mother in public. She could already see a difference in his demeanor from this morning. He seemed happier, which she was thankful for. "Hey B! Everything going okay?"

He nodded and absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair. Vanessa wished he would get a haircut, but didn't dare suggest it since he was already skittish about starting a new school. She knew his hair was like a security blanket so she usually kept her mouth shut about it. "Yeah, everything's fine. Um, is it okay if I have lunch with my friends? I know last night I told you I'd have lunch with you, but..."

She put a hand on her son's shoulder to stop his rambling. "Go eat with your friends, sweetie. You're dad's working late tonight, so maybe you and I can go have dinner somewhere fun, okay?"

Blaine smiled and nodded, grateful that he had the mom he did. "Yeah, that sounds great. Can I, um, get you anything now? I can bring you lunch?"

"I'm fine, but thank you for offering." She ran a hand down one of his cheeks. "You're a good son, Blaine. I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

She smiled with pride as she watched her son navigate his way to the food court.

In order to catch the 2:05 screening of _The Amazing Spider-Man_, the three teens wolfed down their pizza in record time. Somehow they managed to fit in a deep discussion about equal rights and fall fashion in between bites of crust and melted cheese. Mercedes joined in the conversation when she could, but she didn't mind watched Kurt and Blaine have an animated debate about designers. She was impressed - Blaine might look like a scrub, but the boy knew his fashion.

They threw away their trash and scurried to the theater, landing in their seats just as the previews were starting. Since they were in such a rush, neither Kurt nor Blaine had time to panic before they found themselves seated next to each other in the darkened theater.

The movie going experience ended up being entirely less awkward than it could have been. Though Kurt and Blaine were each completely aware of the other boy's presence and how nice it would be to just have the other one reach over and intertwine their hands, each felt content knowing friends surrounded him.

As the credits began to roll, the three of them got up out of their seats. Mercedes and Kurt gathered their bags while Blaine, having not made any purchases, closed his eyes and stretched. Kurt and Mercedes watched as Blaine's shirt crept up, revealing a toned stomach and a trail of dark hair that disappeared under the gray waistband of Calvin Klein boxer briefs.

"Damn," Mercedes uttered. Kurt's eyebrows shot up, hoping Blaine didn't hear her.

He did, but wasn't aware that he was the reason for her comment. "You guys ready?" Kurt and Mercedes both nodded, though Kurt made sure to direct his response at Blaine's face. Mercedes nodded in the general direction of Blaine's crotch.

They walked out of the theater, Kurt elbowing Mercedes most of the way. They stopped at Vanessa's kiosk to find her packing up for the day. "Perfect timing," she exclaimed as she closed one of the sides to her booth. "Did you kids have fun?" They all nodded. Vanessa and Mercedes watched as Blaine kept looking over at Kurt and vice versa.

Kurt's phone buzzed in his pocket. "Excuse me." He pulled out his phone and turned away to read the text. It was his dad, wondering if he and Mercedes were going to make it home for dinner at 6:30. "Hey Cedes, that was my dad. We should probably leave if we want to make it back in time before Finn eats everything." Kurt smiled at Vanessa, "It was nice to see you again, Mrs. Anderson. I can't tell you enough how gorgeous your jewelry is."

"Thank you Kurt. Mercedes, it was lovely to see you too."

"Thanks Mrs. A." Mercedes gave a quick glance over to Kurt and Blaine and saw they were looking at each other instead of saying goodbye. "Hey, Mrs. A, can I ask you something real quick?" Vanessa looked a bit confused but nodded. Mercedes nudged Kurt and gave a discreet nod over toward Blaine and mouthed, "phone number." She then asked Vanessa to show her something on the other side of the kiosk to give the boys some privacy.

"Thanks for letting me hang out with you and Mercedes today. I had a nice time."

"Yeah, me too. Um, good luck at your new school, okay? I hope you feel safer there."

Blaine blushed hard. "Thanks. Me too."

"Um, I don't know how to ask this without sounding silly, but, can I, uh, get your phone number? I mean, I don't know when the next time I'll see you, what with school and all. But I thought maybe if you wanted to talk to someone or complain about your new uniform..." Kurt didn't finish the end of his sentence, fearing he already rambled on too long. His fears were quelled when he saw Blaine crack a smile.

"Yeah. No, that would be great." Blaine pulled out his phone and the boys exchanged numbers.

While they were doing this, Mercedes asked Vanessa if Blaine had told her anything about Kurt. Vanessa said no, but could tell that Kurt made her son happier than she had seen him in awhile. The two women looked over at their boys fondly. When they saw that Kurt and Blaine were finishing up their conversation, they said goodbye.

Blaine stayed with his mom and watched Kurt and Mercedes walk out of the mall. He and Kurt waved to each other, and then he turned to his mom. She was beaming at him. "What?," he asked, confused. She just kept smiling.

...

Later that night, Blaine and his mom were sitting across from each other at a Texas Roadhouse. Small talk was always easy between the two of them and they exchanged lots of smiles and laughs. Vanessa decided to test her luck and see if she could get her son to open up about something more personal.

"So you had fun with your friends today, B?"

Blaine smiled as he chewed and swallowed a piece of steak. "Yeah, I did. Thanks again for letting me hang out with them."

It almost broke Vanessa's heart to hear that her son was grateful for spending time with kids his own age. He should be doing that all the time. "Blaine?"

"Yeah, mom?"

"That Kurt seems to be a very sweet boy…"

Blaine was taken aback. That wasn't really a question – more of a statement or an open-ended remark. "Yeah…"

Vanessa was not surprised that her son didn't take the bait. She knew he was a very private person. "Look, sweetie, I didn't ask any questions at the mall today, but I think I deserve a little information here. Did Kurt go to your old school?"

Blaine sighed and knew his mom was right. She let him have the day to himself and it was only fair that he share a little bit of what was going on. "No, mom. I met Kurt a few weeks ago. He bought one of your necklaces for his dad to give his girlfriend for her birthday." He quickly clarified, "His dad's girlfriend. Kurt's, um, like me."

Vanessa figured as much, but it was a relief to here her son offer up the information on his own. "And do you like this boy?" She watched her son's cheeks flush all sorts of red, so she had her answer whether he decided to vocalize it or not.

He did, though, which sort of surprised her. "Yeah, I do. But I don't want to do or say anything that might ruin our friendship. He's the best friend I've ever had, Mom, and I don't even know him all that well. But he gets it, you know? He was bullied too." He shrugged. "It's just nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who knows what I've been through." He sighed and looked up at his mom with painfully honest eyes. "I don't want to screw this up."

Vanessa offered her son a sad smile. No one should have to go through what Blaine's been through. Knowing he had such a good friend in Kurt was a small relief, but she could already tell her son was battling to keep his feelings at bay in favor of friendship.

...

The drive back to Kurt's house started out silent, except for the sounds of random Top 40 songs playing on the radio. Kurt was concentrating on the road, bopping his head and fingers along to the music. Mercedes stared at Kurt, wanting to ask him about Blaine, but hoping he would initiate the conversation. A few more minutes passed before she casually remarked, "You're welcome."

Kurt's faced screwed up in confusion. "Huh?"

"Oh, I dunno… it's just that I said we could still go to the mall today… and then I asked Blaine if he wanted to hang out with us today… and then I made sure you two sat next to each other in the movie theater… and I know I told you to get his digits before we left. So, you're welcome."

His face flushed pink as his lips involuntarily turned up into a small smile. "Thank you, Mercedes."

There was a beat.

"He's cute, you know," Mercedes offered. "And nice. I can see why you like him."

"Blaine's just a friend Mercedes," Kurt reminded her, but his face softened as he thought of the boy from the mall. "I doubt I'll even get to see him much now that school is starting, but it's still nice knowing I have someone to talk to about stuff."

"You can always talk to me, you know."

Kurt nodded, "I know. But you know what I mean, though, right?"

Mercedes looks down at her hands and nodded. She knew he was right. She knew that even though they were best friends, there were just some things she'd never fully understand. "I know. I'm glad you have somebody like Blaine, Kurt. You deserve that."


	7. Chapter 7 - Back to School

A/N: Hi there... Thanks for reading! Plot bunnies kept happening as I was writing last night, so I won't be posting the last few chapters until I'm completely done. BUT I wanted to give you this before I get back to finishing up writing the last chapter and a half. (Remember, there will be 12 chapters total.) I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. Questions/comments/concerns/reviews are always welcome :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, Kurt would have applied to fashion schools as backup plans.)

* * *

Chapter 7 – Back to School

The first week of school was busy for both Kurt and Blaine and neither had much free time. It took a couple days into the new school year for one of them to be brave enough to contact the other, but by the next day they were exchanging more than just pleasantries.

Kurt (Wednesday 4:43pm)

Hey, Blaine (it's Kurt…). I just wanted to say Hi and hope that everything was going well at your new school.

Blaine (Wednesday 9:31pm)

Hi Kurt! Sorry I missed your text – was at involvement fair. So far, so good.

Kurt (Thursday 12:16 pm)

Involvement fair? Sounds fancy ;)

Blaine (Thursday 12:18 pm)

Well, you know… private school and all ;P

Kurt (Thursday 12:19 pm)

And what are you getting "involved in," Blaine?

Blaine (Thursday 12:20pm)

Oh, you know, the usual… cricket, polo, fencing, jousting

Kurt (Thursday 12:20pm)

Ha. Ha. Blaine. Very funny.

Blaine (Thursday 12:22 pm)

One of those clubs actually exists at my school and I think I'm going to join.

Kurt (Thursday 12:23pm)

I'm going to rule out polo and jousting.

Blaine (Thursday 12:25pm)

Why?

Kurt (Thursday 12:26pm)

Horses

Blaine (Thursday 12.26pm)

Noted. Though, for the record, I have ridden a horse. (Whether it was guided by a person at a petting zoo is neither here nor there.)

Blaine (Thursday 12:27pm)

Fencing. I might do fencing.

Kurt (Thursday 12:29pm)

My lunch period is over and I have to get back to class. En garde, Blaine. Don't get stabbed.

Kurt (Friday 5:48pm)

I hope you are having a more pleasant Friday evening than I. I'm surrounded by mounds of homework. MOUNDS.

Blaine (Friday 10:13pm)

:/

Blaine (Friday 10:17pm)

Can I call you on Sunday? I have something I want to run by you, if that's okay, and it might be easier to do in person, as opposed to via texting.

Blaine (Friday 10:19pm)

I realize it still won't be in person if we speak over the phone, but you know what I mean.

Blaine (Friday 10:19pm)

I'll leave you alone now. Goodnight, Kurt.

Kurt (Friday 10:39pm)

You're a dork

Kurt (Friday 10:41 pm)

Talk to you Sunday. Goodnight :)

...

Instead of going to the mall on Saturday like he had been doing for most of the summer, Kurt gladly spent the day with his dad at the garage. As fussy as he was about his everyday wardrobe, Kurt actually really enjoyed throwing on his coveralls and changing oil or fixing spark plugs. He found it as relaxing as his nightly skin care routine.

"How did the first week of school go, Bud? You, um, do anything fun in that glee club of yours?" Burt Hummel may not quite get his son all the time, but he loved him more than anything else. Last school year he fought hard for Kurt to be able to audition for a solo that was traditionally sung by a girl. His kid sounded like a girl sometimes when he sang, and he honestly wouldn't want it any other way. Kurt was special and Burt made sure he always remained supportive.

"Well, we tried to recruit more kids. Nationals are in New York this year, so we performed out in the courtyard and thought that would get a bunch of people to sign up. It didn't really work. Rachel ended up sending the one girl who wanted to tryout to an abandoned crack house."

Burt's eyebrows shot up, "She what?"

Kurt shrugged. "You know Rachel, dad. She'll do anything to make sure she's the star."

They both rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

While Kurt was gladly spending some quality time with his dad, Blaine was being forced to visit his grandmother.

He used to be her favorite grandchild. She would tell him stories and sneak him sweets when his parents weren't looking. They would play cards at the kitchen table where Blaine's little legs would dangle off the massive wooden chair he sat on, feet not even close to reaching the floor. He was her baking assistant in the kitchen and was sworn to secrecy to never reveal the secret of her famous chocolate chip banana bread.

After Blaine came out, her attitude toward him changed. She didn't ban him from her house or anything, but she stopped spending a lot of one-on-one time with just him, especially after the Sadie Hawkins incident. He never asked why, he just assumed she wasn't comfortable around him anymore. He didn't love her any less; he just missed spending time with her.

This Saturday, though, Blaine would get to spend the whole day with her while his mom was manning her booth at Easton and his dad was out of town for work. Blaine had offered to work for his mom even though he knew Kurt wasn't going to be there. However, Vanessa put her foot down and told her son to go visit his grandmother. She didn't have to add that he might not get many more chances to visit with her, but he understood where she was coming from. Though his grandmother was out of the hospital, she was getting older and her health just wasn't as stable as it once was. So, early that morning, he kissed his mother goodbye and drove to the assisted living complex where his grandmother was staying now that she was out of the hospital.

Blaine keyed his way into her apartment and announced his presence, "Grandma? It's me, Blaine. Mom called last night to tell you I was coming?" His voice rose slightly at the end of his last question. He didn't hear anything and for a fraction of a second, he panicked. "Grandma?," he asked a little louder.

"In here, Bumble Bee!" Blaine's face scrunched up and smiled at the same time upon hearing his nickname from when he was little. His grandmother's voice came from the kitchen. He slid off his sandals, left them on a mat by the front door and walked over to the kitchen where he found his grandmother standing at the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Without looking at him, she asked, "You drink coffee yet, kid?"

"Yes ma'am." Blaine didn't quite know what to do, so he stood in the doorway until told otherwise.

His grandmother poured a second mug and then set the coffee pot back on the stove. Blaine held his breath as she grabbed both full mugs and turned around to face him. "Don't you ma'am me, kid. Makes me feel old." She said it sternly, but he could tell by the twinkle in her eye that she was joking. This made him feel better about the visit already.

"Oh, and 'grandma' is just fine?," he teased back. They smiled as she handed him his coffee. He nodded to the table and they sat down together. It was a different kitchen set then the one they sat at when he was little. The giant wooden chairs were replaced with more manageable lightweight ones and Blaine's feet had no trouble reaching the floor.

They sipped their coffee for a bit, neither one talking. It wasn't awkward, but there were unasked questions hanging in the air. Blaine was the first to break the silence.

"How do you like living here, Grandma? It seems like a nice place," Blaine exclaimed as he looked around. It was definitely a lot smaller than the house he remembered visiting almost weekly when he was in grade school. The kitchen was far less fancy, but he was glad to see her stand-mixer sitting on the countertop. She would always warn him to be careful when he poured in the chocolate chips, or else the mixer would eat his fingers. That should have scared him as a child, but he would just laugh and laugh at the thought of a machine eating him.

His grandmother shrugged her shoulders, "Meh. It's okay. I would have liked to stay at the house, but as much as I hate to admit it, I am getting old… so this place will have to do." Blaine nodded sadly and sipped his coffee. His grandmother was in her 70s and she had some health problems. His mom told him the doctors were pleased with the way she's been recovering after her latest hospital stay, but she was much weaker than she used to be. She was in the clear for now, but was told to be mindful that she could end up back in the hospital at any time. "I've missed you, you know. Your mom tells me you would work for her so she could be with me. I'm glad she finally sent you, though…" Her voice trailed a bit and then she took a sip of her drink. Blaine wondered if there was a reason why she was happy to see him now, after so much missed time over the past few years.

"I missed you too, Grandma." He put his mug down but didn't know what to do or say next. He ran a hand through his hair to stall and saw his grandma eyeballing the unruly mess atop his head. He forgot to buy more of that shampoo Kurt suggested he use, so he knew he wasn't presenting the best version of himself to his grandma. He thought his grandma was going to say something about him needing a haircut, but instead she surprised him.

"So, how come you never visit me? Too busy with a boyfriend or something?"

Blaine's jaw dropped. "Um… I…uh…" He shook his head.

She twisted her mouth into a half smile, but didn't look pleased. "That's too bad."

Blaine's eyebrows didn't know whether to furrow or scrunch up in confusion. His grandmother had never asked about his personal life before and honestly couldn't figure out why she was bringing it up now.

She must have sensed what he was feeling because she gently placed one of her hands over top of his. He looked at their hands, then cocked his head and looked her square in the eye. "I'm sorry I pulled away after that dance the other year. I didn't know how to make things better, so I just didn't say or do anything. I want you to be happy, kiddo. You deserve to be happy. I love you, okay?" Tears welled up in his eyes as she spoke. "And it's a grandma's job to embarrass their grandkids and ask about boyfriends." He cracked a smile through the tears. "There's that smile I love." She took her hand off of his and ruffled it through his hair. "That's my Bumble Bee. Come here." She motioned for him to give her a hug, so Blaine got off his chair and threw both his arms around his grandmother's shoulders.

"I love you, Grandma," he muffled into her neck. She released him and he sank back down into his chair.

"So no boyfriend, huh?" She shook her head. "Well, nobody's good enough for my boy. He's gotta be real special because my family doesn't just settle for anything less than perfect." She watched as his played with his coffee cup and noticed that he was trying hard to not concentrate on something, but his cheeks flushed red. "What's his name?," she asked softly.

He sighed before he admitted quietly, "Kurt."

"He as cute as you?"

Blaine blushed harder. "Grandma!"

"I take that as a yes." She got up from her chair. "Come on kid. We got some banana bread to make."

His smile lit up the room as he followed her toward the mixer.

...

The next morning, Kurt kept his phone on him at all times, not knowing when Blaine was going to call. He only had to wait until 10:00 because Blaine was anxious to talk to Kurt.

Kurt picked up after half a ring. "Hey Blaine, what's up?"

"Oh, hey Kurt. I hope it's okay I'm calling now… I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Kurt smiled as he imagined Blaine's face twisting into a look of worry. "No, I've been up for a couple hours. I think my body's already set to school-time. So, you wanted to run something by me?"

Blaine flopped down on his bed and let out a sigh. "Yeah. Um… you're in your school's glee club, right?"

"Mmm hmm. Yeah, the New Directions. Why?"

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, "Is it fun?"

"Um, yeah. It is. I mean sometimes it sucks, but on Friday we sang 'Toxic' at a pep assembly and supposedly caused a sex riot." Kurt sat down at the kitchen table and started playing with the bowl of fruit that was in the center of it. There was silence on Blaine's end. Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "Are you joining your school's glee club? I didn't know you sang! I wonder if we'll compete against each other this year?"

"Kurt." The blue-eyed boy stopped his rambling and waited for Blaine to continue. "I haven't even auditioned yet. The first round of tryouts is tomorrow."

"Okay… so what did you want to run by me? Audition outfits? Well, I wouldn't wear those cargo shorts you seem so fond of…"

"Kurt!"

"What?"

"I go to a private school, remember? I'll be auditioning in my uniform." Blaine was smiling at Kurt's over enthusiasm. "No, I wondered if I could bounce some song ideas off of you?"

Kurt blushed even though no one was there to see him. "Oh! Yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?"

The two boys talked for over an hour, discussing the importance of lyrics and emotion. Conversation flowed easily with serious moments mixed with friendly teasing. By time they hung up, Blaine had narrowed his list down to two songs ("You should always have a backup song, Blaine, in case they ask to hear something else.") and he was feeling more confident about his decision to tryout. His parents were glad he signed up for fencing, but encouraged him to join a few more clubs at the school so he'd be able to stay busy and meet more people.

Kurt (Monday 3:31pm)

BREAK ALL THE LEGS AT YOUR AUDITION! :)

Blaine (Monday 3:39pm)

Lol – thanks, Kurt. I sing at 4:00.

Blaine (Monday 3:40pm)

So, I just got glared at for having my phone out in the waiting area. Sheesh. Thanks for all your help yesterday! Gotta go!

Blaine (Monday 4:27pm)

Well – I did it. I find out tomorrow if I made it to the last round of auditions on Friday.

Kurt (Monday 4:28pm)

I got all my fingers crossed for you

Blaine (Monday 4:29pm)

:)

Kurt (Tuesday 10:47am)

Did you make it to the next round?

Kurt (Tuesday 11:12am)

Bored in math.

Kurt (Tuesday 11:13am)

Did you make it to the next round?

Kurt (Tuesday 12:14pm)

Buh-laine. Did. You. Make. It. To. The. Next. Round?

Blaine (Tuesday 12:19pm)

Eager much?

Kurt (Tuesday 12:20pm)

BLAAAAAAAINE.

Blaine (Tuesday 12:21pm)

Hahahaha. I won't find out until after school, but I'll let you know. I promise.

Kurt (Tuesday 12:24pm)

Ugh. Fine.

Blaine (Tuesday 3:21pm)

Um… can I call you later?

Kurt had just hopped into his Navigator to drive home. He saw Blaine's text and immediately hit the call button. Blaine picked up after two rings.

"Hey Kurt… what's up?"

Kurt frowned. Blaine sounded oddly cheery and that made him confused. "Are you okay, Blaine?" Kurt sounded so worried that Blaine chuckled out loud. "Hey! Why are you laughing? I'm trying to console you."

Blaine was laughing by this point because Kurt sounded so serious. "Kurt! I wanted to call you later so we could go over song choices again. I wanted to be home first so I could have my iTunes open, but –"

"YOU MADE IT THROUGH?! Blaine, why didn't you tell me? You jerk, I thought you got cut or something." Kurt tried to sound stern, but he was too happy for Blaine to be properly upset.

"Sorry, Kurt." Blaine's chuckles died down but he still had a smile on his face. "So, can I still call you later?"

"Ugh. Yes. Look, I'm going to hang up so I can drive home, but I'll be free after 8:00, okay?"

Blaine nodded even though Kurt couldn't see him. "Sounds good, I'll call you then! Have a safe drive home!"

Later that night, Blaine showered and then sat at his desk in his favorite pair of nearly threadbare flannel pants and an old OSU t-shirt. His hair was still damp and the dark ringlets were dripping water all over his collar. He turned on his computer and called Kurt at 8:01 pm.

"So, what are we singing this Friday?" Kurt was expecting this call. He was clad in Dior gray silk pajamas, lying on his stomach on his bed, with his feet sticking up in the air.

A smile sprouted across Blaine's face as he caught his lower lip in between his teeth. "I don't know. What are _we_ thinking about?" He meant for it to come out teasing, but it ended up sounding flirtier than anything.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up, he froze and then swallowed. "Um…"

Blaine could feel Kurt's shift in mood instantly. They had teased each other a bit via text message, which was kind of flirty, but this was different. This almost had a dirty connotation to it. He slapped his free hand to his face and squeezed his eyes shut. "Shit, I didn't mean that like that. I'm sorry." He clenched and unclenched his hand in the air, cursing himself for what just happened.

Once Kurt got a hold of himself, he realized he was the one who made the situation awkward. "No, it's okay. Honest. You just caught me off guard. I'm, uh, just not used to flirty phone conversations. And, oh god, I just said you were flirting with me. And you probably weren't, but now you think I thought you were flirting and –"

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted softly. "Hey, it's okay.

Kurt's face was bright red for making an awkward situation even more awkward. He breathed heavily through his nose and nodded to himself. "Okay. So. Friday… Do you know what you want to sing for round two?"

They were able to move quickly into comfortable conversation about songs Blaine was considering. This time he had to prepare a song from the present year as well as an oldie. The two boys discussed at length some options, but Kurt told Blaine he should ultimately go with the songs he felt most confident singing.

It was nearing 10:00 and they were about to hang up when Kurt mentioned off hand how he wished Blaine didn't have to wear his uniform to the audition because a great outfit would help Blaine stand out to the judges.

"Private school, Kurt," Blaine explained.

Kurt sighed, "I'm just used to seeing you in cargo shorts. I can't really picture you in a uniform. It just seems so restrictive."

Blaine ran a hand through his hair, which was now dry and fluffing out a bit. It was almost too much to hear that Kurt would even picture him in anything. He wondered for a brief moment if Kurt thought about him even a fraction as much as he thought about Kurt. He quickly shook the thought and got back to their conversation, "I think the whole point is for everyone to look the same."

Kurt shrugged, even though Blaine couldn't see him. "I could never make it at your school if I couldn't express myself."

"It's not so bad. I kinda like it. I feel… I dunno, safe."

That broke Kurt's heart a little bit. "I'm so glad you're doing well there." He sighed. "You really want to make it into their glee club, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Then kill it, Blaine. Do what you need to do to be the best at your audition. I know you can do it."

Blaine blushed, "You've never even heard me sing, Kurt."

Kurt laughed, "Yeah, but if they let you past round one, then you must be doing something right." He looked over at his clock and groaned. "Oh, man, I need to go. I have to pick out my outfit for tomorrow. This could take awhile."

"Ha. My outfit is already picked out for me."

"Goodnight, Blaine."

"Goodnight, Kurt."

...

The next morning, Blaine was in his bathroom, finishing up tying his tie. After adjusting the knot he took a step back to take in his whole ensemble. His hair was frizzing a bit because he still hadn't bought more of that special shampoo. He sighed and pulled a comb out of the bathroom cupboard and began to try and tame his hair. He muttered to himself, "the whole point is for everybody to look the same." He looked at his reflection for a good while in the mirror before he put the comb down and left the bathroom.

He ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to give his mom a quick kiss before he left for school. As he headed toward the door, he called over his shoulder, "I have to run some errands after school, but I should be back in time for dinner, okay?" He heard his mom acknowledge him the door was closing behind him.

Blaine keyed his way into his house just before 6:30 that night and bolted up the stairs with his satchel and a bag from Target. He knew he had a few minutes to change out of his uniform and into something more comfortable before he was expected to be at the dinner table.

When he walked into the dining room promptly at 6:30 he was prepared for his parents to say something, but he wasn't expecting his mom to accidentally pour soda all over the table.

"Blaine!" His mom's mouth just kind of hung open in shock. It wasn't like she had never seen him with short hair before, but it had been more than a few years and was never his own doing.

"Mom, the soda!" Blaine ran into the kitchen and grabbed the towel that was hanging on the refrigerator door. She quickly righted the bottle and the flow stopped. Blaine came back in the room and quickly mopped up the soda that had spilled on the table. "There we go." He stood up and looked at his mom who was staring at him.

She touched a hand to his neck and then worked her fingers up into his freshly cut hairline. The loose ringlets that once haloed his head and covered his ears were gone. She raked her eyes over what was left of his curls, though they were not as pronounced as before. She looked him in the eye and expected an answer to the unspoken question of "Why now?" that was hanging at the tip of her tongue. Instead, she saw him. Really saw him. She realized she didn't need any answers. In that moment, she knew her little lion was gone and in his place was a young man. She brought her hand around, cupped his chin, and then leaned in to kiss him on the forehead. "Thank you for cleaning up the soda, sweetie."

He awkwardly ran a hand through his hair and offered a small smile; grateful she didn't say anything or ask any questions. When his dad came out of his study to eat with his family, he took a look at his son, raised his eyebrows and nodded.

The idea came to him that morning in the bathroom, but he allowed himself the whole day to think about it. As he walked the corridors of his new school, he looked around at the other boys. They all looked the same, and it wasn't just because of the uniforms. Everyone looked polished. Everyone looked mature. Everyone looked serious.

At first, he told himself he was doing it for the audition. If he wanted to impress the judges, he had to look the part. But then he found himself thinking about Kurt. Kurt's appearance always looked perfect and Blaine usually looked disheveled. It was easier for him to make it look like he didn't care because then people wouldn't notice him. But here at his new school, everyone was so put together that he felt like he stuck out. Though he still didn't know many people, he thought that maybe if he looked the part, he would start to assimilate better. He thought that maybe if he presented the best version of himself, he would somehow have the courage to see if there was potential for something more with Kurt.

After school he drove to a salon on the other side of town. He wasn't embarrassed, but at the same time, he didn't want to hear from his usual barber about how he was finally getting a real haircut. He walked through the door and sat patiently, albeit nervously, in the waiting area, flipping through magazines with various hairstyles. It suddenly hit him that he didn't know what to ask for, only that he had to look more presentable than he did at the moment. When he heard his name called, he was brought to the back to get his hair washed, and then set up in a chair in the corner. He was left alone for a few minutes and had no other option but to stare at himself in the mirror in front of him. Though his hair was still damp, his shaggy curls had already sprung back to life. He dragged his right hand through his hair while his left hand was gripping his thigh. A small wave of panic washed over him as a woman in her mid 30s approached him. She didn't have a crazy hairstyle like some of the stylists sometimes do, which he thought was a good sign, and she offered him a friendly smile.

"Hey hon. What can I do for you today?"

"Uh…" He was at a loss for words and the stylist knew it.

She looked at his hair and then took a quick look at his uniform before she tied a cape around his neck. He sure didn't look like a private school kid. Maybe that's why he was here. "Do you need me to make you look as dapper as your uniform?"

His face flushed out of embarrassment for not being able to vocalize what he wanted her to do to his hair. Through his reflection in the mirror, he looked at her in the eye. She looked trustworthy enough and this was her job… He nodded.

She gave him a small smile, "I promise you will look great. Do you trust me?" He nodded again. She could tell he was nervous and thought he might be better off not facing the mirror for what she had in mind. "I'm going to turn you around, okay?" He took a long look at himself in the mirror but nodded again. "Okay." She turned his chair around and then picked up comb out of a canister on her table. She silently combed out his hair and then pulled a pair of scissors out of her apron. "What's your name, hon?"

He felt her gently pull a chunk of his hair taut between two of her fingers and then heard a soft snipping sound. He swallowed, "Um, Blaine."

"Nice to meet you, Blaine." Snip. "I'm Alexa." Snip.

Alexa finally managed to get Blaine to relax and they conversed for the duration of his haircut. Just as they were getting into a rousing debate over reality television she put her scissors back into her apron. "Well, kid, we're almost done. I just have to clean up your hairline a bit and you'll be good to go, okay?"

Blaine nodded, "Okay."

She leaned his head forward so that his chin was resting on his chest. His eyebrows shot up when he heard a buzzing sound near his ears but made sure to keep his head still. A few moments later the sound stopped and he heard a clunk as Alexa placed the clippers on the table. She took off the cape and brushed any stray hairs off his neck. "Are you ready? Now, I think you look very handsome, and don't even bother telling me I'm biased…" her words drifted off as she spun Blaine's chair around so he could look at himself in the mirror. His eyes widened with shock as he brought a hand up to his hair. Instead of a tangled mess, his fingers ran easily through much shorter waves of ebony. Slowly his expression softened as a small smile appeared on his face. He looked different, yes, but somehow he didn't feel like his identity was completely gone. "Everything okay?"

Blaine turned around in his chair and looked Alexa in the eye and smiled, "Yeah. Thank you."

As he hopped out of the chair and grabbed his satchel, she said, "You're welcome. You can use some product if you want. A little bit of gel will keep the frizz at bay." He nodded and made a mental note to stop at the store to buy some hair gel on the way home.

He paid at the counter, left a big tip for Alexa and then ran to his car and drove toward Target. He stole several glances at his reflection in the rear view mirror. It was going to take a little getting used to, but he wasn't regretting what he did. He hoped his new look would help during the audition. He also hoped it would maybe impress Kurt the next time he saw him. He smiled as he planned to ask his mom if he could work for her this weekend. Kurt had said he was in need of a shopping trip.

Blaine got teased a bit the next morning by some of the boys he was starting to befriend in his homeroom. He knew they were just messing around and didn't take any of it to heart. By the afternoon, no one cared about his haircut anymore. Maybe he was fitting in better than he thought – or at least blending into the fold.

Blaine (Thursday 4:39pm)

Audition tomorrow – yikes!

Kurt (Friday 12:21pm)

Sorry I missed your text yesterday I accidentally left my phone at my dad's garage when I got off of work and he didn't give it back to me until this morning.

Kurt (Friday 12:22pm)

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR AUDITION TODAY!

Blaine (Friday 12:24pm)

Thank you :)

Blaine (Friday 12:24pm)

And garage?

Kurt (Friday 12:26pm)

My dad owns a tire shop… we work on cars… you know, "man stuff."

Blaine (Friday 12:27pm)

You… work on cars. YOU?

Kurt (Friday 12:28pm)

Yep. I can change oil and fix spark plugs. Eat your heart out, Anderson ;)

Kurt (Friday 12:28pm)

Go concentrate on your audition. Let me know how it goes!

Blaine (Friday 12:30pm)

Will do

Even though Blaine wanted to text Kurt while he waited for his second audition, he turned off his phone to avoid glares from the other boys in the waiting area. When his name was called, he stood up and ran his hands over his slicked-back hair (maybe a little less gel next time…). He strode into the audition room with confidence and sang his two songs with as much passion as he could muster. He walked out of the audition room feeling really good about himself.

After he ran to his car, he pulled out his phone and turned it back on. He was a little surprised not to see any texts from Kurt, but maybe Kurt thought he was too nervous to be bothered. Before he hopped in his car, he typed out a message to his friend.

Blaine (Friday 4:31pm)

I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but I think I nailed it.

Blaine (Friday 4:32pm)

They post the list on Monday.

Blaine (Friday 4:32pm)

Oh! I'm working for my mom tomorrow. So, if your at Easton, come say Hi!

Blaine (Friday 4:33pm)

*you're

Blaine (Friday 4:33pm)

:)

Meanwhile, Kurt's phone was off because you can't use your cell phone when you're in a hospital.

He sat in the waiting room, staring at the wall. His was pulled out of school just after lunch and was told that his father had a heart attack. His glee club instructor, Mr. Schuester, drove him to the hospital but no one had filled him in on any more information, just that his dad collapsed at work and was now in a coma.

Kurt couldn't breathe. He just kept playing the last conversation he had with his father over and over again in his head. They talked that morning. Well, fought.

When Kurt went to his dad's shop to pick up his phone, he told his dad he was going to miss dinner that night because he and Mercedes were going to "Sing-a-long Sound of Music." His dad got mad because Friday night dinners were kind of their thing after his mom died when he was eight. Kurt loved his dad, but Friday night dinners were every week… "Sing-a-long Sound of Music" was only once a year. He dad claimed he was pulling away and then brought up the fact that their Friday night dinners were going to end in a few years when Kurt went away to college. But Kurt didn't want to hear it, and he had already promised Mercedes that he would drive, so he told his dad he was going and that was that.

He stormed out of the garage without telling his dad he loved him. Kurt wondered if he would ever get the chance to say that to him ever again.

Kurt needed his dad. He needed his dad, but his dad was unconscious and hooked up to tubes. He never felt so alone in his entire life.

...

Blaine kept his phone by his side the rest of the night awaiting a text from his friend.

He never heard from Kurt.


	8. Chapter 8 - Here For You

A/N: I know I said I wasn't going to post anymore chapters until I was done writing the whole thing, but I had a good day today in my real life and felt like posting another chapter to celebrate. As always, questions/comments/concerns/reviews are more than welcome :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, Burt Hummel would be in every episode.)

* * *

Chapter 8 - Here For You

Kurt woke up in a chair next to his dad's hospital bed. The nurses didn't have the heart to wake him up once visiting hours were over, though he noticed someone did cover him with a blanket. He stretched his arms over his head and winced as his entire back cracked. Looking at his watch, he saw it was only 7:30am.

Beeping sounds seemed deafening in the otherwise silent room. He frowned as he glanced at his father. Tears welled up as he watched the man he loved most breathe with the help of tubes that were taped underneath his nose. Kurt slipped his hand into his dad's and squeezed tight, willing his dad to squeeze back.

He didn't.

.

Miles away and a few hours later, Blaine sat on the stool with his elbow propped up on the kiosk, chin resting in the palm of his hand. He twirled around in his seat, bored to tears and wishing Kurt would visit soon. Instead of his usual cargo shorts and t-shirt, Blaine opted for a pair of cuffed jeans and a form-fitting dark green v-neck sweater, hoping to impress his friend with his new look.

Throughout the morning, Blaine helped a few customers and witnessed a mom sprint after a toddler who managed to wander away from her. He checked his phone and wanted to text Kurt to see if he was coming, but then thought Kurt might be driving… or maybe it would seem forward for Blaine to ask his whereabouts. It wasn't like they had solidified plans for that day.

As he slid his phone into the front pocket of his pants, he saw someone approach the kiosk out of the corner of his eye. "Blaine? Is that you?" His first instinct was to run his hand through his hair. He was getting used to it, but still felt embarrassed when people he knew didn't recognize him right away.

A grin spread wide across his face when he recognized Mercedes. "Hey Mercedes!" He looked around her to see if Kurt was close behind. "How're ya doing? Are you with Kurt?" He stopped looking around and refocused his attention on Mercedes when she didn't answer right away. The grin fell off his face when he noticed she wasn't smiling. His eyebrows shot up, thinking the worst. "Is Kurt okay?"

Mercedes shook her head. "His dad's in the hospital."

Blaine knew that wasn't good, but he still couldn't help but worry about Kurt. "Oh my god! What happened? Is Kurt okay? I mean, I know he's not okay, but is he okay? Like, is his dad hurt?"

She shook her head again, but couldn't help but give a small sad smile. She could tell Blaine still had it bad for Kurt and legitimately cared about her best friend's well being. "No, he's not hurt. His dad had a heart attack and has been in a coma since yesterday. Kurt's been at the hospital ever since."

Blaine exhaled a breath he didn't even realize was holding in. "Shit. Poor Kurt." He looked up at Mercedes and could see she looked lost too. "Are you okay, Mercedes?" He wasn't just asking to ask – he actually cared and she could tell he was being sincere. Her eyes welled up and she shook her head again, not trusting herself to open her mouth without crying. "Oh, hey! Come here." Blaine quickly stood up from his stool and opened his arms toward Mercedes who quickly accepted the hug. She buried her face in Blaine's neck as he squeezed his arms around her back.

After a few moments, she pulled back a bit so she could look at Blaine. Through glassy eyes, she could see that his were watery too. "Thanks. You're real nice, you know?" Blaine chuckled at this and they separated. Mercedes wipes tears away from the corner of her eyes and hoped she hadn't ruined her makeup. She sniffled and collected herself.

Blaine tugged at the sleeve of his shirt that had ridden up during their hug. "Um, have you seen him?"

"No. No one has. Finn's mom called my mom last night and told her what happened." Blaine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Mercedes realized he didn't know who Finn was. "Finn's mom is dating Kurt's dad." Blaine shook his head, still not fully understanding whom she was talking about. "Finn is a boy in our grade at school. He's in glee club with me and Kurt."

"Oh," Blaine understood. "Oh! And he's dating that girl who Kurt bought the Tiffany's necklace for a few weeks ago. Okay, yeah." It all made sense now. "But is Kurt's dad going to be okay?"

Mercedes sighed, "I hope so, but no one really knows anything yet."

Blaine frowned. He wanted to do something. Help. Bake cookies. Something. His friend was in need and Blaine had not idea what to do in this situation. "Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head, "I don't think so, Boo." Blaine sighed in defeat. Mercedes watched as closed his eyes and shook his head.

As he opened his eyes, he caught sight of something out of his peripherals. He knew what he could do. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Mercedes, if I give you something, can you make sure Kurt gets it?" She looked confused but nodded.

.

Mercedes didn't see Kurt until Monday at school. To be honest, she was surprised he even showed up, but since his dad was in the hospital, there was no legal guardian to approve him missing classes.

Kurt looked horrible. He was unresponsive in his classes and walked through the hallways as if he were in a trance. Mercedes, Finn and the other glee club members made sure he got from one class to another, but weren't sure what to say to Kurt. He would snap at the slightest provocation.

It was only after an extremely awkward lunch period when Mercedes remembered she had a package for Kurt from Blaine in her backpack. As they filed into the courtyard for recess, Mercedes pulled Kurt aside. Before he could react, she was shoving a wrapped box into his hand.

"I saw Blaine at Easton this weekend and he wanted me to give you this." Kurt's eyes sparked slightly at the mention of his friend, but then went lifeless again.

He flipped the box over in his hand as Mercedes pat him on the shoulder and walked away to give him some privacy. Kurt slunk down onto a picnic table bench and sighed.

The package was small, but expertly wrapped, much like the box Blaine did up for the necklace Kurt bought for his dad for Carole weeks and weeks ago. Kurt slowly unwrapped the shiny paper to find a Designs by Vanessa box. One corner of his mouth slid up as he brushed his fingertips across the familiar logo. He carefully opened the box and found a folded piece of notebook paper resting atop a tissue paper-wrapped something. He set the notebook paper aside and picked up the wrapped object.

Kurt unfolded the tissue paper to find himself holding the Hippopotamus brooch that he so loved. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran a finger along the Hippo's nose and across its teeth. He set the brooch back down into the box and wiped away a stray tear before picking up the notebook paper. With both hands, he opened the note and found himself shedding more tears as he read:

_Kurt,_

_Please don't get mad, but Mercedes told me your dad was in the hospital. Selfishly, I wanted to call you immediately but I didn't because I thought you might need some time to yourself._

_I wish I could tell you that everything is going to be okay. But I won't. I won't because I never want to promise you something that I can't deliver._

_I needed you to know, though, that if you need to talk that I am here for you. __That__ I can promise you._

_My mom always tells me to have courage. I don't know if that applies to this, but if there is anything..._

_Sometimes I..._

_Please know that..._

_Man, I wish I was better at knowing what to say (write?). I'm sorry if this is making things worse._

_I know the Hippo brooch won't solve anything, but someone I care about once told me that retail therapy helps him feel better._

_If you need anything, please, PLEASE, let me know. Call. Text. Send out smoke signals._

_You're not alone._

_-Blaine_

Mercedes watched from afar as Kurt smiled sadly, folded up the note and slid it into his pocket. He carefully unfastened the brooch from its backing and pinned it onto his jacket before burying his forehead into his arms that he promptly folded and rested on the table.

.

Kurt (Monday 7:39pm)

Thank you

Blaine (Monday 7:41pm)

Hi!

Blaine (Monday 7:41pm)

You're welcome

Blaine (Monday 7:42pm)

Are you okay?

Kurt (Monday 8:13pm)  
No

Blaine (Monday 8:15pm)

Do you want to talk about it?

Kurt (Monday 8:19pm)

No

Blaine looked at Kurt's response and frowned, but set his phone down. It wasn't his place to pry. He opened his Calculus book back up and turned back to his homework. After a few minutes his phone rang, pulling him out of the steep concentration he was giving his worksheet on limits. He didn't even bother checking who was calling as he picked up his phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Sorry. I shouldn't have called. You're probably busy."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up at the familiar voice as he slammed his book shut. "Kurt? No, no, no, I'm not busy." He waited for the other boy to say something but heard nothing. "What can I do to make this better?"

There were sniffles at the other end of the line. "Can you just talk?"

Tears welled up in Blaine's eyes, but he did his damnedest to hide that he too was breaking down. "Yeah, sure. I can talk."

Blaine talked for over an hour. Kurt chimed in with an "uh-huh" or "mmm" every now and again, but Blaine carried the entire phone call, recounting almost everything he could think of since the time he and Kurt talked the week before and telling him funny stories he hoped would lighten Kurt's mood. Blaine didn't bring up the audition, though, or how earlier that day at school he found out that his glee club voted him to be their lead soloist even though it was his first year with the group. He didn't want to make their conversation about him. If Kurt would have asked, he would have gladly given up the information, but somehow Blaine didn't feel right just throwing his good news in Kurt's face when Kurt was dealing with something so awful.

The call neared an end when Blaine heard Kurt yawning on the other end of the line. "Hey Kurt?"

"Mmm?"

"Maybe we should hang up and you could try and get some sleep."

"Can't sleep. Have to stay up in case my dad wakes up during the night."

Blaine's lips quivered at Kurt's words. He wished in that moment he could reach through the hug and give his friend a hug. "Maybe you could rest for a little bit, though, okay? Close your eyes for a little bit?"

"Mmm."

Blaine heard a rustling sound over the phone and hoped Kurt was settling down into a position where he could maybe get some sleep. "If you need anything, you call me, okay?"

"Mmm. Night, Blaine."

"Goodnight, Kurt."

.

By the end of the week, Kurt still looked like a zombie, but he was warming up to other people. His fellow glee club members were doing their best to make him feel like his whole world wasn't crumbling apart. He texted Blaine or called him every night. He felt horrible for forgetting about Blaine's audition last week ("Oh my god, why didn't you tell me? BLAINE! Congratulations! I feel like an asshole for not remembering!") but was beyond grateful that his friend was always ready to distract him with stories about the other kids at his school. Kurt was thankful that Blaine never once said that he was praying for Kurt. After the week he had with Finn thinking his grilled cheese looked like Jesus and Mercedes dragging him to church, Kurt was relived to have someone in his life that didn't even try to mention how religion would help heal his father.

Friday night, Kurt was sitting next to his father and squeezing his hand. It was so hard seeing his dad look so small and vulnerable when he was used to him being so strong. Kurt was just so tired and so sad. He hadn't given up hope, but he knew that each day his father was in a coma was one less day he got to spend telling his dad that he loved him. Tears raced down his cheeks as he spoke quietly, "I don't believe in God, Dad. But I believe in you, and I believe in us." He squeezed his dad's hand again and almost fell off his chair when he felt his dad squeeze back. He bolted out of his seat, yelled for a nurse, and then spoke to his father again. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Doctors and nurses filed in and out of Burt Hummel's room the rest of the night. Kurt was too tired to really understand what was going on, but too awake to get some rest now that his dad was finally awake.

By time all the commotion settled, it was nearing midnight and Burt Hummel was asleep. Kurt watched through tired eyes as his father's chest rose up and down. The tubes had been removed from under his nose and he was breathing on his own. Happy tears rolled down Kurt's cheeks as he smiled to himself. His dad was back. Though he had a long road to recovery, he was back.

Kurt fidgeted around on his chair to try and get more comfortable. He realized his phone was wedged into his back pocket and was making it hard for him to find a decent position to try and sleep. He yanked the phone out and clicked it on to see if he had any mixed messages. He knew he shouldn't have his phone on in a hospital, but at this point he didn't care.

Just as he was about to turn it off, he opened up his texts and typed a quick message out.

Kurt (Friday 11:58pm)

My dad woke up. Thank you for everything this week

Blaine (Saturday 12:04am)

! and Anytime

Blaine (Saturday 12:05am)

Goodnight Kurt

Kurt (Saturday 9:56am)

Good morning, Blaine :)


	9. Chapter 9 - Just Coffee

A/N - I caved again and posted another chapter. I'd apologize, but the fact that you're reading this leads me to believe that maybe you were happy I caved and posted another chapter instead of waiting like I planned... Hmmm :) Reviews are welcome, as always. Have a great day!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, Ricky Martin would still be on the show as the Spanish Teacher... me gusta.)

* * *

Chapter 9 – Just Coffee

Burt Hummel was awake but needed to stay in the hospital a couple days so that the doctors and nurses could keep an eye on him and make sure he was healthy enough to go home. Although his son insisted on staying by his side the whole time, Burt finally convinced Kurt that he should go get some fresh air, or at least a cup of coffee better than the crap they serve in the hospital's cafeteria. Burt was scheduled to do tests all day, so Kurt wasn't going to be able to see him anyway, much to his dismay.

Kurt sat in his Navigator and weighed his options. He could go to the Lima Bean and get a cup of coffee… or maybe Blaine wanted to get coffee. He hadn't seen his friend in weeks and wanted to thank him in person for all the moral support he had given Kurt throughout his father's coma. Plus, Kurt just missed Blaine. He missed seeing his smile. He missed his horrible wardrobe choices. He missed everything about the boy he had grown so close to over the past few months.

Kurt (Saturday 9:56am)

Good morning, Blaine :)

Blaine (Saturday 9:57am)

Morenig Krt

Kurt (Saturday 9:58am)

Blaine? Are you drunk?

Blaine (Saturday 10:01am)

Ha. No. Your text woke me up… my eyes weren't open yet when I typed that out. Sorry :/

Kurt (Saturday 10:02am)  
No, I'm sorry! Go back to sleep!

Blaine (Saturday 10:03am)

No no no no I'm awake. Honest. I should be up anyway.

Kurt (Saturday 10:04am)

Since you just woke up, I'm assuming you aren't going to be at Easton today?

Blaine (Saturday 10:05am)

Nope. My mom insisted I take a day for mysekf.

Blaine (Saturday 10:05am)  
*myself

Kurt (Saturday 10:07am)

My dad told me I had to leave the hospital and get good coffee.

Blaine (Saturday 10:08am)

Your dad is a wise man. Hospital coffee sucks

Kurt (Saturday 10:08am)

So true

Kurt (Saturday 10:09am)

So…

Kurt (Saturday 10:09am)

Now that you're up… do you want to get coffee with me?

Blaine (Saturday 10:09am)

Yed!

Blaine (Saturday 10:10am)

*yes

Kurt (Saturday 10:10am)

Okay. Cool. Um, you want to meet somewhere in the middle? Like, in Marion?

Blaine (Saturday 10:11am)

Yeah – how about Below Grounds?

Kurt (Saturday 10:12am)

Sure. I'll GPS it. 11:30?

Blaine (Saturday 10:13am)

Um, yeah. I should go put non-pajamas on. See you then!

Blaine threw his phone on his bed and looked around his room in a panic. He had about 15 minutes to pick out a Kurt-worthy outfit and do something with his hair before he had to be on the road.

After a mad-scramble, he picked out dark blue skinny jeans (which he had to cuff because his legs were always too short for his pants), a white Henley with thin black stripes and a cranberry cardigan. By time he raced into the bathroom to wash his face and assess the bed head, he only had a couple minutes left. His left hand furiously worked his toothbrush back and forth along his teeth as his right hand attempted to bring his slept-on hair back to life.

He ran out the door around 10:30, calling to his dad that he was going to meet a friend for coffee and would probably be back by dinner.

Even though Blaine was convinced he was going to be late, he was the first one to the coffee shop at 11:25. He promptly got in line, a smug smile on his face for remembering Kurt's coffee order. He planned on surprising his friend with hot drinks and a plate of baked goods by time he arrived. The line was long, so it gave Blaine ample time to survey the pastries on display.

Lost in thought over chocolate chip and banana nut muffins, Blaine did not hear the bell on the door clang a few minutes later when Kurt rushed into Below Grounds.

Kurt looked around the shop before getting in line, trying to see if Blaine got there before him, though he was pretty sure that even though he hit construction, he was the first one there. From the back of the lengthy line, Kurt craned his neck looking for his friend. When he didn't see any cargo shorts or crazy curly hair he smiled to himself, pleased that he would be able to buy both of their coffees and surprise Blaine with some biscotti.

Both boys were maybe ten feet away from each other, staring at baked goods but thinking about the other. The line moved and Kurt was startled by the person behind him who cleared his throat, wordlessly asking him to move forward. His cheeks flushed as he stepped up a couple feet to close the gap between him and the person ahead of him in line. As he faced forward, he caught site of a man who was next in line at the counter.

For just a fraction of a second Kurt forgot he was meeting Blaine and all of his attention was now on the backside of this man. His jeans and sweater fit perfectly. And Kurt marveled at the way his hair was styled to make it look like it wasn't styled; almost as if he had rolled out of bed and it just looked like that. The dark waves looked so soft that if Kurt were braver, he would ask this guy what kind of product he used to get his hair looking that touchable.

Kurt watched the mystery man place his order and then move down the counter to wait for his drink. Embarrassed, he looked down at his phone and saw it was almost 11:40. He thought about texting Blaine, but figured the other boy was probably still driving, so he didn't. Instead, he turned his attention back to Jeans and Sweater Guy. Kurt told himself it was okay to look, so he continued to watch from the line. He didn't know why, but he felt jealous when Jeans and Sweater Guy was handed two cups of coffee. Figures he would be here with someone. But then again, Kurt was supposed to be here with someone too. He looked around again, trying to see if Blaine came in yet. Nope.

The line inched forward and his eyes drifted back toward the pastries. Suddenly, his phone vibrated and it made the "incoming text" sound. He yanked his phone out of his pocket.

Blaine (Saturday 11:41am)  
You're probably stuck in traffic or something. I got your drink already.

Kurt (Saturday 11:41am)  
How? I'm in line and you're definitely not here.

Blaine (Saturday 11:42am)

Um… yeah. I just got our drinks. Just waiting on some muffins.

Kurt looked up from his phone and saw a woman behind the counter holding up a tray of muffins. She looked around as she asked, "Blaine?" His eyebrows shot up as he watched Jeans and Sweater Guy pocket his phone and make his way over to the counter.

No. Freaking. Way.

Kurt stepped out of line and called out, "Blaine?!"

Muffin tray in hand, Blaine turned toward the sound of his friend's voice and then smiled. "Oh, hey Kurt! See – muffins!" He lifted the tray for emphasis.

Yeah, Kurt saw the muffins. But he was more confused by what he didn't see. Like, Blaine's typical cargo shorts-based outfit. Or the halo of unruly curls that used to completely cover his ears.

Blaine was confused as to why Kurt was staring at him funny. He looked down at his clothes, hoping he hadn't spilled anything on himself, but then quickly realized he hadn't seen Kurt in weeks. Or rather, that Kurt hadn't seen him in weeks.

"So… what's going on here? Did you get private school hazed or something?" Kurt gestured his hands towards Blaine, indicating his recent style update.

Blaine blushed as he set down the tray of muffins. "Oh, right. Um. I did it for the audition." ("And for you," he thought.) Kurt watched as Blaine ran a hand through his hair and could tell that he embarrassed his friend. "I thought it would help if I looked the part of a lead singer."

"Well, you look good," now Kurt was blushing. "This looks good on you. I mean, it suits you."

Blaine smiled at the compliment as he held Kurt's opinion on fashion in high regard. "Really?"

Kurt was sure his cheeks were as dark as Blaine's sweater. "Mmm hmm… um, so, coffee?"

"Oh yeah!" Blaine gestured to their table and pulled out Kurt's chair for him before he sat down himself. He grabbed a muffin and broke off the top of it as Kurt sat and scooted in his chair. Blaine put the top of the muffin down and slid Kurt's coffee toward him.

"You know my coffee order?"

"Of course I do."

They sipped their coffee and munched on muffins making small talk. Kurt couldn't help but sneak looks at Blaine. He did look good. He looked great, actually. But there was something more. Blaine seemed happier and more confident in himself. This made Kurt smile.

Blaine caught Kurt mid-smile, "You seem happy."

"I was just about to say the same thing about you."

Blaine shrugged and grinned, "I am. I made a few friends at school. I'm lead singer of my glee club. I'm having coffee with you… I really missed you, Kurt." Kurt ducked his head and bit his lip. He looked up through his own eyelashes to see Blaine looking right at him. "But you, you look happy. And rightly so! I'm so glad your dad is okay."

"Me too," Kurt shook his head and sighed. "This was literally the worst week of my life." Blaine knew Kurt wasn't exaggerating. "I don't even want to think about what was going to happen if he didn't wake up." He started to choke up.

Blaine reached across the table and rested his hand atop Kurt's. "Hey. I'm here. You can talk to me, okay?" Kurt nodded, worried that if he spoke, he would cry. "You are so strong, Kurt." Kurt just kept nodding, but his breathing got heavier. "You wanna get out of here? Go for a walk?" More nods.

Blaine removed his hand from Kurt's and both boys pushed their chairs back. Kurt grabbed both of their to-go cups while Blaine gathered the trash from their muffins and their used napkins. They walked silently to the trashcan and Kurt waited while Blaine discarded their trash. After he put the tray on the counter, he took his coffee from Kurt, put his free hand on the small of Kurt's back and then ushered his friend out the door.

There was a small park with a trail behind the coffee shop. They found themselves alone on the path, each sipping their coffee as they walked. Blaine knew it was probably best if he let Kurt have a minute, so he refrained from asking him anything.

After awhile, Kurt broke the silence.

"My mom died when I was eight." His voice was steady, but quiet. "She had breast cancer, but by time they caught it, it was too late."

Blaine looked over at his friend and offered him a sympathetic smile. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. That must have been really hard on you and your dad."

Kurt nodded as he downed the last of his coffee. He swallowed before he spoke, "It was. But somehow my dad made everything okay. He attempted to cook and he never once tried to make me into someone I wasn't." He fiddled with the lid of his empty cup. "He's all I have left, you know?" Blaine nodded though he couldn't imagine losing one of his parents at all, let alone at such a young age. Kurt got anxious at Blaine's silence and started to ramble, "I'm sorry, this must be boring you. My dad's fine, I should just stop freaking out –"

"Kurt, stop, please," Blaine was gentle but insistent. He reached out and grabbed Kurt's arm, turning the other boy to face him. Kurt went to protest, but Blaine kept talking, "You have every right to freak out. Yes, your dad is fine, but no one expects you to just flip a switch and instantly be okay after what you went through this past week." Tears started sliding down Kurt's cheek causing Blaine to frown. Kurt quickly raised a hand to his face to wipe away the stray drops and Blaine pulled his own hand back to fiddle with his also-empty coffee cup. "I meant what I said, Kurt. You are so strong. I really admire that about you."

The crying boy scoffed and sniffled, "Yeah, so strong I keep crying."

"Crying isn't a weakness, Kurt. It just shows that you care so much you physically can't hold it in anymore."

The two stood there in silence. Blaine looked around while Kurt calmed himself down. He spotted a trashcan and bench a little ways away and then gestured toward the sitting area. Kurt nodded and they walked together, throwing their cups away before sitting down.

"Thanks for putting up with me," Kurt muttered as they sat down on the bench.

Blaine just shook his head, "I don't 'put up' with you, Kurt. I care about you. A lot." The last two words were spoken in almost a whisper, but Kurt heard them and was visibly shocked.

Kurt scoffed, "Why?" Kurt wiped away a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye.

"Because you're my friend!" Blaine threw his hands up in the air, as if that gesture was part of the answer to Kurt's questions, and then ran them through his hair while he searched for the right words. "Hell, you're my best friend these days. You've been nothing but kind to me since we met even though you had no idea who I was or what I was. You're a good person, Kurt, and I'm grateful every day I get to spend time with you. We might not get to see each other all the time, but every phone call, every text…" His sentence drifted off as his eyes locked onto Kurt's, which were wide with disbelief and threatening to tear up again.

Blaine was worried he said too much. Just as his shoulders were about to sag in defeat, Kurt threw his arms around Blaine and pulled him into a tight hug. Blaine was initially shocked by the action, but then wrapped his arms around Kurt's back, closed his eyes and smiled.

They stayed in their embrace until a group of bicyclists rode by and made them realize they were in a public place. They pulled away, cheeks flushed with slight embarrassment.

Kurt's heart felt full and he could no longer deny to himself that he liked Blaine in a more than just friends capacity. After Blaine's outpouring of feelings, Kurt felt a little braver. He reached out and brushed a stray piece of hair off of Blaine's forehead, "Me too, you know." Blaine's ears threatened to match his sweater as Kurt kept talking. "I am so, so glad that I know you."

Blaine took a deep breath. Weeks ago, Mercedes told him that Kurt liked him. And he still liked Kurt. Really liked Kurt. He closed his eyes and quickly weighed his pros and cons about whether to say anything because he didn't want to mess up this great friendship they just agreed they had.

"I like you." Wow, that slipped out of Blaine's mouth easier than he thought. "Like, 'like you like you." He opened his eyes and saw that Kurt's mouth had dropped open at his confession. Blaine's eyes widened, "Oh my god, that sounded so lame. And I just ruined our moment. At least, I thought that was a moment. Oh god. I'll just shut up now. I'm sorry." Kurt's lips closed in on themselves and he started to shake a little. Blaine went from mortified to embarrassed to defensive in a split second. "Wait, are you laughing?"

Kurt nodded as he covered his red face with his hands. His whole body shook. "You always do that!"

Blaine was confused, "What?"

"Apologize when there is absolutely no need for you to be sorry." He dropped his hands from his face and grinned as he looked Blaine in the eye.

Blaine couldn't help but grin back even though he was still embarrassed about his rambling. "Sorry. Shit. Sorry!" He laughed as Kurt laughed at him, "I can't help it! But why are you laughing at me? If anything, why aren't you running away?"

Kurt placed one of his hands over Blaine's and wrapped his fingers around the other boy's. "I'm laughing because somehow you always manage to blurt out exactly what I'm thinking in my head but am too scared to say out loud." Blaine bit his own cheek to keep from exploding. "And why would I run away from someone I like? Or rather, someone I 'like like'?"

Blaine knew Kurt was teasing him with his choice of words, but he couldn't help but beam. "Really?!" Kurt nodded.

.

Kurt smiled the whole drive back to the hospital. He and Blaine sat on that bench for another hour or so, holding hands the entire time. Blaine finally confessed that after his grandma got better, he kept asking his mom if he could work for her so he could see Kurt. He also spilled that Mercedes told him a few weeks ago that Kurt liked him, but he didn't say anything about it because he didn't want to ruin their friendship. Kurt admitted that he liked Blaine ever since the day he bought that necklace for his dad, but didn't say anything for the same reason Blaine mentioned. Though they had some lost time to make up for, both boys agreed that because they were new to this kind of relationship, they were going to take things slow. Distance was going to be an issue, but they knew they had phone calls, texts and Skype at their disposal until they could come up with some sort of schedule to visit each other.

A wave of relief washed over Kurt as he walked into his dad's room to see him sitting up and chatting with Carole. He hugged them both and then settled into the chair he had been sleeping in for most of the week.

Blaine keyed his way into his house; still grinning from the afternoon he spent with Kurt. They parted with a lingering hug and Kurt had kissed him on the cheek. Blaine wanted to plant one on him right then and there, but refrained because he was too nervous. He chuckled to himself that he left the house this morning mentally preparing himself for just coffee with Kurt and just walked through his front door feeling the happiest he'd felt in a long time.

.

Blaine (Saturday 9:34pm)

Hey

Kurt (Saturday 9:35pm)

Is for horses

Blaine (Saturday 9:35pm)

?

Kurt (Saturday 9:37pm)

I was trying to make a joke. You know, "hay is for horses?"

Kurt (Saturday 9:37pm)

This is why texts need to have fonts.

Blaine (Saturday 9:38pm)

OHHHHHHHH

Blaine (Saturday 9:39pm)

I get it. Sorry.

Kurt (Saturday 9:39pm)

Blaine, if you apologize one more time, I'm going to break up with you.

"Kurt?" Kurt looked up from his phone to see a nurse standing in the doorway. She motioned for him to come over to her so that they wouldn't interrupt Burt while he was sleeping. Kurt set his phone down on the chair he was sitting in and went over to the door to speak with the nurse.

Blaine (Saturday 9:40pm)  
NOOOOOOOO :(

Blaine (Saturday 9:40pm)

Wait.

Blaine (Saturday 9:40pm)

… Are we boyfriends?

Blaine (Saturday 9:40)

Bc I would like to be

Blaine (Saturday 9:41)

I didn't want you to think that I was against that

Blaine (Saturday 9:41pm)

Bc I'm not

Blaine (Saturday 9:43pm)

Kurt?

Blaine (Saturday 9:43pm)

Oh my god, I scared you off. I'm sorry.

Blaine (Saturday 9:43pm)  
SHIT! Sorry I apologized.

Blaine (Saturday 9:44pm)  
Oh god, I did it again…

Blaine (Saturday 9:46pm)

Is there any way to un-text something?

The nurse told Kurt that if his dad woke up to come get her because she had to ask him a few questions before she left for the night. Kurt assured her he would and then went back to his seat. He noticed he had a lot of missed texts from Blaine, so he shot him a quick apology message, then allowed himself to get caught up with their conversation.

Kurt (Saturday 9:48pm)

Sorry, I was talking to the nurse… lemme catch up on what I missed.

He scrolled back up to see what Blaine wrote while he was talking to the nurse and his eyebrows shot up.

Boyfriends.

The word never came up during their conversation on the bench earlier, but the word was floating around on the tip of his tongue the whole time, he was just too scared to say it out loud. But now it was out there, granted in text-form, but still…

Boyfriends.

Kurt (Saturday 9:50pm)

Oh

Kurt (Saturday 9:50pm)

Um. I would like to be too…

Kurt (Saturday 9:51pm)

Boyfriends, I mean.

Kurt (Saturday 9:52pm)

Blaine?

Blaine (Saturday 9:53pm)

Really?!

Kurt (Saturday 9:53pm)

:)

Kurt (Saturday 9:54pm)

Sooooo… you texted me?

Blaine (Saturday 9:54pm)

Yeah, I did.

Blaine (Saturday 9:55pm)

I just wanted to say Hi

Blaine (Saturday 9:55pm)

And say that I had a nice time with you today

Kurt (Saturday 9:56pm)

Hi. And same :)

Kurt (Saturday 9:57pm)

I gotta go – my dad woke and I have to go get the nurse – but I'll call you tomorrow morning, okay? Boyfriend… :P

Blaine (Saturday 9:45pm)

Great! Have fun with your dad… boyfriend!

Blaine (Saturday 9:46pm)

Uh oh... I think we're already "those people"

Blaine (Saturday 9:46pm)

:/

Blaine (Saturday 9:47pm)

But seriously – have a good night! :)

.

Neither Blaine nor Kurt told their parents that night that they had a boyfriend, even though Burt Hummel and the Andersons could tell that their sons were extraordinarily chipper for some reason.

.

Sunday's phone call was brief because Burt was released from the hospital far earlier than expected, but they each tried to apologize to the other about having the boyfriend conversation via text message instead of in person ("I wanted to ask at the park, but I was too scared, Blaine." "Well I'm sorry for just assuming. I should have said something too, Kurt." "We're idiots." "Yeah we are…. but I still like you." "Like me like me?" "Shut up."). Carole, Finn and Kurt got Burt settled onto the couch in the Hummel's living room and spent the rest of the day fetching him blankets and making sure he had plenty of fluids and was happy with the game that was on television.

While Kurt was busy helping his dad readjust to life outside the hospital, Blaine was trying to assist his with finding birthday presents for his mom.

The Anderson men were not fond of shopping, but thought that if they went together, they could help each other and finish the task quickly. After an hour of walking around Polaris Fashion Place, they found themselves empty handed at Molly Woo's Asian Bistro.

"Shopping sucks," Ethan exhaled as he picked up his glass of water. "I don't know how your mom does it at Easton all the time."

Blaine laughed as he played with his napkin, "Agreed. Shopping is the worst unless you're shopping for yourself. Then you can just be in and out and not have to think about it."

They sat in silence for a minute and Ethan watched his son become happily lost in thought. He couldn't really remember his son being this happy – not recently at least. Blaine had been through a lot over the past years; getting beat up at a school dance, being bullied after he came out at school, he never mentioned that Derrek kid anymore, and he got pulled out of public school. And yet here Blaine sat, smiling like he had a secret. Ethan didn't usually pry into his son's life, but he genuinely wanted to know why Blaine was happy so that he could do everything he could to keep him that way.

"You seem happy, son."

Blaine snapped out of his daydream and looked at his father. "Pardon?"

Ethan smiled. "I said you seem happy. It's nice to see you smiling again. I know you had a rough couple of years."

Blaine nodded in agreement, thinking back on everything he'd been through up until that point. However, he couldn't help but think that if those horrible things hadn't happened, he might never have met Kurt. "I am happy. School's going well and… stuff."

"Stuff?" Ethan's eyebrows raised, hoping his son would elaborate.

"Yeah… stuff." Blaine's smile grew.

Ethan shook his head, "You're going to leave me hanging like that? I see how it is…"

Blaine's smile twisted as he scrunched his nose. "You really want to know?"

Wow, his son was going to open up to him. Ethan was almost on the edge of his seat as he nodded, "Yeah, I really do."

Blaine took a deep breath, "Ihaveaboyfriend."

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to repeat that, B."

"Um, I… have a boyfriend."

A smile crept across Ethan's face as his eyebrows shot up with pleasant surprise. "Really?" Blaine nodded. "Someone from your new school? Or is it that Derrek kid from this summer?"

Blaine shook his head, "No, it's not Derrek. And it's not anyone from school. His name is Kurt. I, uh, met him at Easton. When I was working for mom." He looked up and saw his dad smiling even wider than he was before. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Your mom mentioned a Kurt a few weeks ago. I'm glad to hear that everything worked out."

Triangular eyebrows shot up nearly to Blaine's hairline. "Mom told you?!" Ethan nodded as he took another sip of water. "So you're not mad or anything?"

Ethan's smile faded as he set his water glass down. "Listen to me, Blaine." Blaine looked at his dad with a hint of fear in his eyes. "I will never, _ever_ be mad about you being happy, okay? You are my son and seeing you this happy again is a godsend. I should write this Kurt a letter of thanks for putting that kind of smile back on your face." Tears began to gather at the corner of Blaine's eyes but he held himself together. "Now, what should we order?"

Blaine smiled to himself as he looked at his menu.

.

Blaine (Tuesday 7:38pm)

Sorry I missed your call earlier. Rehearsal ran late. The guy in charge is basically a dictator. Are you okay? You sounded upset on that message?

Kurt (Tuesday 7:40pm)

I'm okay now. There's this new kid at school I wanted to sing with in glee club and everyone's telling me I shouldn't because it'll ruin his reputation.

Blaine (Tuesday 7:41pm)

I don't get it

Kurt (Tuesday 7:42pm)

Like, if people find out Sam (new kid) is singing with the gay kid, he'll get labeled as gay too and then he'll get picked on.

Blaine read Kurt's text twice before he hit the call button. Kurt picked up mid-ring.

"You didn't have to call, Blaine." Kurt sounded annoyed.

"Yes I did. So, what you're saying is this new guy will get harassed if he sings with you?"

Blaine heard Kurt sigh over the phone. "Yeah, I mean they already slushied him for joining the glee club. Him singing a duet with me is basically a suicide mission I guess."

"Kurt, that's awful."

"Yeah, but there's really nothing I can do about it. So, whatever…" Kurt sounded defeated even though he was trying to pass for nonchalant. Blaine wasn't fooled.

"I'd sing with you, you know."

"Well I should think so. I'm the best singer in my glee club, so your best bet at winning this stupid duet competition would be to pair up with me. Obviously."

"Obviously," Blaine echoed. "So… if you aren't singing with this Sam kid, who are you going to duet with?"

"Myself."

"Come again?"

"I've got it all figured out. I'm going to sing 'Le Jazz Hot' from _Victor/Victoria_. I've already started sewing my costume – it's going to be fabulous."

Blaine smiled even though he knew his boyfriend couldn't see it. "You'll have to send me a picture of the finished product. I wish I could be there to see you perform."

"Thanks." Kurt sighed and then paused before finally speaking again. "Um, so, I told my dad about you."

Blaine squirmed in his desk chair. "Really? What'd he say?"

Kurt laughed, "Nothing bad, I promise! He actually said some similar stuff to what your dad said… about how he was glad I was happy. He wants to meet you. I told him you lived kinda far so that might not be possible right this second. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think he was glad you don't go to my school. I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want us to get bullied together, or if then we couldn't be with each other all the time… I'd like to think it's the former."

"Me too."


	10. Chapter 10 - Not Just Coffee

A/N: Hello, hello :) So... good news... I finished writing the fic! To celebrate, I'm posting Chapters 10 and 11 tonight, and then I'll post Chapter 12 tomorrow after some much-needed editing. Thank you for reading - I hope you've enjoyed it. As always, reviews/questions/comments are welcome!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, the Warblers have had their own spin off by now.)

* * *

Chapter 10 – Not Just Coffee

Both boys were busy with school so the week flew by. Kurt texted Blaine a picture of himself in his "Le Jazz Hot" outfit (which Blaine promptly emailed to himself so he could print it out and frame for his room). Blaine emailed Kurt his grandma's recipes for some healthy soups that would be good for Burt to eat during his recovery.

They agreed to meet up at Below Grounds on Sunday for their first official date so Kurt could spend Saturday working in his dad's shop, helping the other guys do some car maintenance and balance the books while his dad stayed home and rested. Blaine spent his Saturday at Easton working for his mom to earn some extra gas money for the drive the next day. He people watched and tried to come up with the perfect outfit to impress his boyfriend, or at least not look like a slob.

The next day, the boys agreed to each other outside of Below Grounds at 11:30 so they could walk in together. Kurt did get there first this time and was leaning against the outside of the building, texting Mercedes while he waited for his boyfriend. She was the only person besides his dad who knew about Blaine and he intended to keep it that way for the time being, even though she was bursting at the seams to tell the other glee members that her boy was officially off the market. Kurt was laughing at one of her texts when he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to find Blaine walking toward him.

Damn.

"_Someone_ looks extra handsome today. Got a hot date later, Anderson?," teased Kurt, who smiled as his boyfriend blushed. Blaine was wearing perfectly fitted jeans, boat shoes and a snug red polo shirt. His hair was loose and curling again, having grown out a bit over the past month.

Blaine's face matched his shirt as he leaned in and gave Kurt a hug. He whispered earnestly in Kurt's ear, "The hottest, but not later" It was Kurt's turn to blush as they separated. Blaine beamed when he noticed what Kurt was wearing. "That's a lovely brooch you have on, sir. You look flawless, as per usual. I'm just trying my best to keep up." Kurt was in ripped jeans, a plain white long-sleeve t and a form fitting black vest. Attached to his lapel was the Hippo brooch, which he gently straightened while Blaine smiled.

As they walked into Below Grounds, Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and told him, "I liked you when you wore cargo shorts, you know, but your efforts are greatly appreciated. You really do look great, Blaine."

They stood in line together, hand in hand, and eased into small talk about their drive into town. After they ordered, Blaine insisted on paying and Kurt let him (after putting up a small fight). He agreed, but only after Blaine said he could treat on their next date.

They settled down into a booth in the corner of the shop where they could have some privacy. Their feet found each other under the table and tangled naturally as the boys sipped their drinks and chatted about anything and everything. Conversation came easy to them as they settled into their new relationship. It was one thing to talk over the phone and send flirty texts, but it was another to be able to look your boyfriend in the eye and watch him smile over something you said.

They were both chuckling as Blaine finished telling Kurt a story about his new friend Wes. "A _gavel_, Kurt. He has a gavel. And he named _her_ Lola. LOLA! It's taking a lot of personal restraint not to burst out into Copacabana every time I see him." Animated hazel eyes were lost in blue and Kurt knew Blaine wasn't being facetious even though the story was really quite silly. Blaine's sincerity was overwhelming and it momentarily caught Kurt by surprise. No one had ever looked at him like that before and Kurt suddenly stopped laughing and gaped at his boyfriend. Blaine's gut reaction was that he did something wrong or that something was on his face. "What? I'm sorry! Am I talking too much? Should I not have brought up Barry Manilow? Is there something on my face?" Blaine brought his hand up to his face and wiped furiously around the edges of his mouth.

Kurt dropped his eyes to the table and shook his head. This was his life. He was on a date with someone he liked and who liked him back. His _boyfriend_. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Hey." Kurt looked up when he felt Blaine slide a hand into one of his that were resting on the table. "You okay?" Blaine's eyebrows were furrowed in concern.

Kurt offered a small smile and nodded while he found the words, "Yeah. I'm okay. I just – it's just, I've never had a boyfriend before so I don't know what I should be doing…"

Blaine exhaled through his nose and his shoulders slumped out of relief. He rubbed a thumb over Kurt's knuckles, "You shouldn't be doing anything but be yourself." That sentiment earned Blaine a set of quickly reddening ears from his boyfriend that encouraged Blaine to press on. "Look, you know I don't know what I'm doing either, Kurt. But we'll figure it out together, okay?"

A bigger smile crept across Kurt's face and was met with an equally happy face from Blaine.

They finished their coffees and decided to leave their cars in the parking lot and walk around to find somewhere they could eat lunch. Both turned their noses at fast food (though Kurt was pretty sure Blaine was only saying no because Blaine thought that's what Kurt wanted), but when they approached Godfather's Pizza, Kurt dragged his boyfriend through the front door because nobody could turn down freshly prepared pizza.

After they ordered, Blaine pulled out his wallet again. Kurt reminded him that he was supposed to pay, but Blaine quickly remarked how that was on their _next_ date. Pizza was just part two of their current date.

They sat at the counter with their piping hot slices of pizza and Diet Cokes. Blaine poured a thick coating of Parmesan cheese on the top of his pizza while Kurt dabbed at his with a stack of napkins, soaking up the glistening grease. Blaine just shook his head. "It's bad for you, Blaine. Plus, I'm not running the risk of getting grease on this shirt. It'll never come out," Kurt commented matter-of-factly.

As they silently munched on their pizza, Blaine couldn't help but glance at Kurt. He still couldn't believe that he'd only met him a couple of months ago. He sighed in contentment; Blaine was happy. After swallowing his last piece of crust and wiping the crumbs and grease away from his mouth, Blaine asked Kurt if they could go to the park where they went the week before. Kurt nodded as he took a final sip of his soda. The boys hopped off of their stools, threw away their trash and took turns washing their hands in the men's room.

At the park, they walked for a bit side-by-side; so close that their shoulders constantly knocked into each other and knuckles brushed as their hands dangled close between them. They strolled in comfortable silence as they made their way to the bench from the week before.

"Is it too early to think of this as 'our spot'?," Blaine asked as they sat down.

Kurt just laughed and asked, "Oh, and not your mom's kiosk?"

"Okay, so we have two spots." They both chuckled and turned to sit facing each other, sitting cross-legged on the bench. "So, what's on your agenda this week? I have rehearsal or fencing practice until 5:00 every night, so depending on your schedule, we'll have to move our phone calls until a little later, if that's okay."

"Ummmmm," Kurt lazily traced patterns on Blaine's arm. "That actually works out great because I have musical rehearsal until 6 every night and then we premiere on Friday and have a few shows next weekend."

"But you guys just picked out the show last week!"

"Yeah, but luckily most of us had already seen _Rocky Horror_ so we knew the songs already. It's just all the blocking and acting that some people need help with." Kurt shrugged – last minute performances were normal with his glee club.

Blaine slid his hand into Kurt's and brought it behind their legs and against the back of the bench so that no passersby could see them holding hands. "Can I, uh… can I come see your show?"

Kurt blushed. "Really? You want to drive two hours to see what's likely going to be a train wreck?"

"Are you going to be in that train wreck?," Blaine asked.

"Yeeeeeeees."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand. "Well then there's your answer." Kurt scrunched up his nose and smiled at his boyfriend. "And then I'm going to take you out after the show to celebrate your epic stage prowess."

Kurt blushed as Blaine chuckled at his embarrassed boyfriend. They locked eyes, but then Kurt's darted down to Blaine's lips. Each boy began breathing heavy and licked their lips as they started to lean in toward each other. Slowly their faces moved closer and closer. Just as they were about to close the gap between their lips, a group of joggers ran by and startled the boys. They jerked back into upright positions, mindful that they were in a public place and not somewhere where they could safely share their first kiss. The both blushed hard as they shifted around on the bench, disappointed they were interrupted, but encouraged that they were on the same page about the next step in their relationship.

A buzzing sound made itself heard from Blaine's pocket. He fumbled for his phone and pulled it out to see that he had a text from his dad asking him to pick up a gallon of milk on his way home.

"It's like the world is plotting against us right now," Blaine muttered as he shoved his phone back in his pocket and looked apologetically at Kurt.

Kurt sighed, "I know. But I should actually be getting home soon, too. Make sure my dad is doing okay and everything."

They got up from the bench and walked back to their cars together. Because there were other people in the parking lot, they gave each other a quick hug with a longing look, promising that they would talk to each other later that night.

.

During musical rehearsal after school on Tuesday, Kurt texted Blaine a picture of himself in his _Rocky Horror_ costume. Blaine was in his glee club's practice and almost fell out of his chair when he saw his boyfriend dressed in full costume and makeup as Riff Raff. "Oh my god," slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

TWACK! Wes slammed his gavel against the table. "Is there something you'd like to share with the group, Warbler Blaine?"

Blaine's face flushed red as the rest of the group turned and looked at him. "Um, nope. No, I'm good." He flashed an apologetic smile and the Warblers turned back around to discuss potential songs they should consider for Sectionals.

Later that night when all his homework was finished and he had showered, Blaine curled up on his bed and called Kurt, who picked up on the second ring. "THAT WASN'T FAIR!"

"Why hello to you too, Blaine."

Blaine rolled around on his bed like a petulant child, "Ku-ur-urt. You can't just text me a picture like that during rehearsal. I got in trouble. Wes slammed Lola onto the table with righteous fury!"

"Oh did he? I hope it was consensual…" Blaine's eyebrows shot up at Kurt's remark then chuckled as Kurt tried to backtrack. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that. Sorry!"

"Now look who's apologizing! You're blushing right now, aren't you?," Blaine asked.

"Maybe…"

"You're so cute when you blush."

"You're so cute all the time."


	11. Chapter 11 - Missing You

A/N: Thank you for reading! Reviews welcome :)

Warning: OC character death (sorry...)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. (If I did, Blaine would have sung Mandy Moore's "Candy" by now.)

Other Disclaimer: I do not own "I wanna hold your hand" (lyrics were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

* * *

Chapter 11 – Missing You

Kurt (Friday 3:45pm)

Musical got cancelled :/

He knew Blaine was supposed to be at fencing until 5:00, so he was surprised when his boyfriend's name flashed across his phone mere seconds later.

"Hey Blaine, I thought you were at practice. I just wanted to let you know that there is no musical for you to attend tomorrow, so if you still wanted to hang out, we could make other plans…"

"I can't. That's why I'm calling," Blaine responded quietly.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up and he had a feeling something was horribly awry. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" When a sniffle was his only response, he knew he was probably about to hear bad news. "Blaine?"

More sniffles. "My grandma… she's (hiccough) she's in the hospital again. It's bad, Kurt."

Kurt's heart broke and he started to tear up at the sound of his boyfriend crying over the phone, but he held himself together for Blaine's sake. "Where are you now, Blaine?"

"I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up from school to take me to the hospital. My mom (sniffle) my mom is there already." Blaine sounded lost. "Kurt."

Tears slid down Kurt's cheek as his boyfriend said his name as if he were begging for help. "I'm here, Blaine. I'm here."

"Can you stay on the line until my dad gets here? I don't want to be alone."

Kurt stayed on the line for another 18 minutes and pressed on through his own sadness while Blaine cried himself dry of tears. Not quite knowing what to say, Kurt tried to recount some funny stories from the week about Sam's costume being too short and Finn getting in trouble for walking around school in his boxers. Blaine chuckled lifelessly on the other end of the line, like he knew he was supposed to be laughing, but didn't have the heart or energy to commit to an actual feeling besides numbness.

By time Ethan pulled up to the sidewalk where his son was sitting on the ground, Blaine's tears had subsided, but the young boy looked destroyed. He parked the car and turned off the ignition, then got out and walked over to his son. Blaine's head was in his hands and he had his phone plastered to his ear as if it were a lifeline. He heard his son mumble into the phone, "My dad is here. I should, I should go." But Blaine didn't hang up. Instead, his face screwed up in confusion as he held up his phone to his dad. "It's Kurt. He, um, he wants to talk to you for a second?"

Ethan looked as confused as Blaine as he took the phone from his son. "Hello?"

"Hi Mr. Anderson, my name is Kurt Hummel," there was a sigh. "I'm dating your son."

"Hello Kurt. Yes, I was aware of your relationship. What can I do for you, son?"

"Nothing, sir. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about your wife's mother and let you know that if your family needs anything this weekend that I want to help in any way I can."

Ethan was taken aback by the generosity of this young man he never met, though he would surely like to. He looked down at his son and then walked a little bit away to give his son and himself some privacy. "Thank you, Kurt. I'm not sure if there is anything that can be done, but maybe you could check in on Blaine every now and then." He chuckled, "But I'm sure you were probably going to do that already."

"Yes sir, but I wanted to check with you first. I didn't want to disturb your family…"

"Kurt," Ethan started but then stopped and sighed. "Kurt, you've made my son the happiest I've ever seen him these past few months. Now, I don't know what's going to happen this weekend…" Ethan didn't want to say that Blaine's grandmother probably wouldn't survive this hospital stay, but Kurt knew it was implied.

"I understand, sir." Kurt was silent for a second. "I should let you get going, but… could you… could you give him a hug for me?"

A small smile spread across Ethan's face. "Of course." He looked over at his son and was glad that he had someone looking out for him. "You're a good man, Kurt. We'll have to have you over for dinner sometime soon, okay?"

"That sounds good, sir. Thank you. Have a safe trip to the hospital. Goodbye, Mr. Anderson."

"Goodbye, Kurt." Ethan clicked off Blaine's phone and walked back over to where Blaine was peeling himself off the sidewalk.

Blaine stood up went to brush the sidewalk dust off his pants and blazer when his father wrapped him in a tight hug. "This is from your boyfriend. He sounds like a nice guy, Blaine."

"He is," Blaine spoke into his father's shoulder. They separated briefly and then Ethan pulled Blaine into an even closer embrace. "Dad?"

"This one's from me, kid. I love you so much and I don't want you to ever forget that, okay?"

Blaine nodded into his dad's chest. Ethan felt damp spots appear on his dress shirt and hugged his son tighter.

.

Kurt had dinner waiting for his father when Burt awoke from his nap. He knew his dad was getting sick of soup, but it was the best thing for him so he kept making it. Burt knew better to complain, especially when he noticed how sad Kurt looked when he handed him his tray.

Burt set his tray down in front of him and grabbed Kurt's arm to stop him before he could go back into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, bud?"

Kurt looked his dad in the eye and weighed his options. He knew his dad would listen, but wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about relationship stuff quite yet. After a moment, he sighed in defeat and plopped down on the couch next to his dad.

"It's Blaine."

Burt didn't know what that meant but assumed it was bad. He wasn't sure he was ready to hear about his son's boyfriend, but seeing Kurt look so down made Burt push past his own insecurities about having a son in a high school relationship. "You wanna expand on that a little? You two didn't break up, did you?"

Kurt shook his head, "No, dad. We're fine." He sighed, "It's just that we were supposed to hang out this weekend but can't because he's visiting his grandma in the hospital." Burt went to comment, but Kurt cut him off, "And before you say it, I'm not upset that I can't see Blaine this weekend. I'm upset that he's upset and I can't do anything about it. You should have heard him on the phone earlier. He sounded… broken or something."

"Is it bad?," Burt asked, implying the status of Blaine's grandma.

Kurt nodded and started to tear up. "He was there for me the whole week you were in the hospital. I mean not 'there there,' but he would call and make sure I was okay. And that was before we were together. And you were okay. But now… with his grandma. It just really hurts, you know?"

Burt leaned over and wrapped his arms around his son. "I know, kid. I know." They stayed in their embrace for awhile while Burt rubbed soothing circles on his son's back.

.

By time Ethan and Blaine got to the hospital that night, Blaine's grandmother was asleep. Vanessa was dozing in a chair next to her mother's bed but awoke when she heard the door open. She stood just in time to catch her son who had launched himself at her for a tight hug. She squeezed the boy and looked over at her husband who was watching everything unfold. A wordless conversation was exchanged when Ethan nodded over to his mother-in-law's sleeping body and Vanessa shook her head. Ethan frowned and walked over to his family, circling his arms around his wife and son.

The Andersons spent the night in a hotel near the hospital with promise from the late shift nurse that he would phone them should Blaine's grandmother's health take a turn for the worse during non-visiting hours.

Though his parents managed to fall asleep, Blaine tossed and turned well past midnight. Not able to take it anymore, he quietly slid out of his bed, grabbed his phone, a pillow and a blanket, and snuck into the bathroom. He placed the blanket in the bottom of the tub and climbed in, setting his pillow near the back of the tub. After curling himself into the fetal position and wrapping half of the blanket around his body, Blaine brought his phone up to his face to check the time. 12:47am.

He sighed and ran his thumb across the bottom of the screen of his phone to unlock it to the main dashboard. There was a missed text message that he promptly read.

Kurt (Friday 10:48pm)

I'm here for you anytime. Call. Text. Smoke signals. xo

Blaine clenched his eyes shut and breathed through his nose as he clasped his phone against his chest. Though he knew it was late and didn't want to disturb his likely sleeping boyfriend, Blaine needed to feel something other than the pain that presently inhabited his heart. He went to his current contacts and hovered his thumb over Kurt's name. He held down on the call button until he heard the phone dial.

Kurt picked up before it finished even one ring.

"Blaine! Are you okay?"

The boy in the tub's body instantly relaxed at the sound of Kurt's voice. "Thank you for your text. I probably woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry."

"How many times do I need to tell you to stop apologizing for everything?"

"Sorry… shit! Sorry. Ugh," Blaine moaned into the phone. He was beyond tired from lack of sleep and crying throughout the evening. His grandmother was sedated for the time being and he spent a lot of the night curled into his mom's side while she stroked his hair.

Kurt sighed softly over the phone and asked again, "Are you okay?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay." Kurt didn't pry because he knew if Blaine wanted to tell him something he would eventually get around to it.

They stayed on the phone, listening to each other breathe. The silence was comforting instead of awkward, but eventually Blaine broke it.

"Kurt?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think I'm selfish?"

Though Blaine couldn't see Kurt, he swore he could hear a frown in his voice. "Blaine! Why would you ask something like that?"

There was a beat before Blaine whispered his response.

"Because I don't want my grandma to die."

Kurt's heart broke as he heard a choked back sob escape the throat of his boyfriend. "Oh, sweetheart." The boy in the tub curled in further on himself and buried his face in his pillow, desperately trying to smother his own cries. Kurt felt helpless, not knowing what to do or say to comfort Blaine. He looked around his room, searching for answers when his eyes fell upon a picture of his father teaching him how to ride a bike. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he started singing. His voice started out shaky, but evened out as he sang slowly:

_Oh yeah, I´ll tell you something_

_I think you´ll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Blaine rolled his face out of his pillow and smashed his phone closer to his ear.

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Kurt could hear Blaine sniffle loudly over the phone, but he kept singing.

_Oh, please, say to me_

_You´ll let me be your man_

_and please, say to me_

_You´ll let me hold your hand_

_Now let me hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Blaine's crying subsided and Kurt listened to him breathing hard for a few moments before he continued.

_And when I touch you I feel happy, inside_

_It´s such a feeling_

_That my love_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

Kurt stopped and swallowed, wondering if he was helping or hurting the cause. He heard some rustling on the other end of the phone and it sounded like Blaine was nestling down into some covers. He heard Blaine yawn but knew it wasn't out of boredom.

_Yeah you, got that something_

_I think you´ll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_And when I touch you I feel happy, inside_

_It´s such a feeling_

_That my love_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

Blaine rolled over onto his phone so that he could still hear Kurt but could fold his hands up under his head too. His eyes fluttered shut and he whimpered quietly as his body finally settled into sleep.

_Yeah you, got that something_

_I think you´ll understand_

_When I feel that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand._

"Goodnight, Blaine."

.

When Vanessa found her youngest son sleeping in the bathtub, she was reminded of when he was a little boy and she would find him napping underneath tables or on the floor of her closet. She didn't want to disturb him but at the same time knew he would want to spend as much time with his grandma as he could that day. Crouching next to the tub, Vanessa reached in and ran her fingers through her son's hair as she whispered, "Wake up, my little lion."

Blaine leaned into the touch but his eyes refused to open. "Mom?"

A small smile sprouted on Vanessa's face. "Hey B. You gotta wake up, okay? We're allowed back at the hospital in an hour and some of us need to use the shower."

The still sleepy boy nodded as he slowly sat up. His phone slid off his pillow and Vanessa noticed there was a rectangular indentation on the side of his face.

"Did you sleep on your phone, sweetie?" She reached over and rubbed one of the lines on his cheek.

"Yeah… I didn't mean to. I think I fell asleep while Kurt sang to me," Blaine said as he yawned.

Vanessa nodded, "Why don't you go get dressed and have some breakfast before we leave? I asked your dad to grab some of your clothes before he got you from school so you weren't stuck wearing your uniform."

Blaine climbed over the edge of the tub, grabbed his things, stood up and threw his arms around his mom. "Thanks, mom. I love you."

"I love you too, B."

.

Kurt was over at Mercedes house that afternoon working on homework. He kept checking his phone every few minutes even though there was nothing to check.

"I know that you said that he said he'd call later, Kurt, but you gotta put your phone away or you're going to drive yourself crazy," Mercedes said rolled her eyes and turned back to her history essay. "You're driving _me_ crazy," she muttered under her breath so that he couldn't hear her.

"I know, I'm sorry," Kurt slid his phone in his pocket and flipped open his math book. "I'm just worried."

Mercedes looked up from her essay and shot Kurt a meaningful look. "I know. I am too, but there isn't really anything you can do right now. He's with his family and that's the best place for him."

Kurt nodded and went back to work.

They worked in silence; the only sound was that of pencils scratching paper. Every now and then Mercedes would sneak a peek at Kurt who had reluctantly thrown himself into his homework. She closed her eyes and prayed to God to look after Blaine and his family.

.

Blaine sat in the chair next to his grandmother's hospital bed ever since they were allowed to visit that day. She was sleeping when they arrived and had been resting the whole day. He watched as various doctors and nurses would come throughout the day and take readings and write down notes on charts. His mom and dad spent most of the time talking quietly as they sat in some chairs near a table in the corner of the room.

Around 4:00, Blaine noticed his grandma shifting around more so than she had earlier in the day. He thought maybe she was waking up. "Grandma?"

Blaine sat on the edge of his seat and heard his parents get up and cross the room, standing behind his chair to see if his grandmother was lucid.

"Mom?" Vanessa asked as she leaned over her son's shoulder and took her mother by the hand.

Blaine's grandmother turned her head toward the sound of her daughter's voice as her eyelids flickered open. It took a moment, but she was able to focus on her family looking down at her. She went to speak, but having not used her vocal chords in a couple days, her voice was raspy and dry. "Water, please."

Ethan grabbed her glass of water off the nightstand and gave it to his wife. She fixed the straw and held it to her mother's mouth. Blaine just watched in awe, not knowing what to say, or if he should say anything at all. Ethan gave his wife's shoulder a squeeze and then slipped out of the room to track down a nurse and let him or her know that his mother-in-law was awake.

Blaine and his parents were temporarily ushered out of the room while doctors and nurses checked on his grandmother. When they were finally given the all-clear that they could go back in, Blaine followed his mom and dad to his grandmother's bedside once more.

He was relived to see her smiling. She looked so frail, but at least there was a little twinkle in her eye upon seeing her daughter and family.

"Hi mom," Vanessa said as they approached the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm sure I've felt better than this," she mused, "but I suppose it is what it is." Everyone gave a small smile, not wanting to acknowledge what was likely to come. "I was hoping I could speak to Blaine for a few minutes," she reached up and grabbed his hand, though addressed her comments to her daughter and son-in-law. "Maybe you could go get a cup of coffee or something, hmm?"

Vanessa nodded as Ethan slid one of his hands into hers. She leaned down and kissed her mother on the forehead and then exited the room with her husband.

"Come here, kid."

Blaine approached the bed and carefully sat down in the chair he had been sitting in most of the day.

She smiled, though it took some effort. "Let me take a look at you."

He scooted the chair closer to the bed and leaned in. "I'm here, grandma."

"There's my Bumble Bee." His grandma reached up and Blaine enclosed her small hand in both of his. "You look good, kid. Your mom says you've been doing good at your new school."

Blaine smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah. I made some friends. I sing in the show choir." His eyes were tearing up and he couldn't do a thing to stop them.

"I wish I could be there to see you shine, kid."

"Grandma." Blaine's voice broke and tears started sliding down his cheeks.

She brought her free hand over and clasped it on top of Blaine's hands. "You listen to me, Blaine. I love you very much." Blaine nodded. "And I am so, so proud of you." He offered her a watery smile. "You got a boyfriend yet?" He knew she was asking this to break the tension, but Blaine couldn't help but to laugh through his tears. His grandmother beamed as she watched his cheeks flush pink. "God, I hope that means yes." Blaine snuck one of his hands out of his grandmother's grasp to grab a tissue off her nightstand and wipe his eyes and nose. He nodded again and smiled as he thought of Kurt. "What's his name? Is he as handsome as you?"

Blaine sniffled as he tried to compose himself. "His name is Kurt, Grandma. And he's the most beautiful person, inside and out, that I've ever met." He looked at his grandma and squeezed her hand.

"Kurt." She smiled. "You boys treat each other right, you hear me?" Blaine smiled and nodded in promise to his grandmother. "I love you, Blaine. And I'm so, so sorry I pulled away these last few years…" Blaine's tears started back up as he watched his grandmother's face crumble with sadness. He quickly launched out of his chair and carefully wrapped both his arms around her shoulders.

"It's okay, grandma. I love you too." He closed his eyes and held on to her as if their lives depended on in. "I love you too."

Vanessa and Ethan watched from the hallway as their son embraced his grandmother. Ethan rubbed Vanessa's back and kissed her hair while she wrapped her arm around her husband's waist and slunk down into his side.

Once again the Andersons spent the night in their hotel, though they didn't fall asleep right away. Around 10:00, Ethan suggested they order pizza and watch a movie like they used to do on family road trips when Blaine and his older brother, Cooper, were little. Vanessa was grateful for the suggestion and the three of them piled onto one of the beds and ate greasy slices while they laughed at a premium cable showing of _Animal House_.

The call came around 1:30am. Vanessa took her phone and quickly walked into the bathroom, followed by her husband. They shut the door so they wouldn't disturb their son, as Blaine was asleep at the foot of his parents' bed, curled up cuddling a pillow. Though she managed to keep herself composed during the call, once she hung up, Vanessa dropped down onto the floor, unable to keep in her sadness any longer. Ethan sat down on the floor and held his wife, stroked her hair and rocked her back and forth as he whispered words of love and compassion into her ear.

.

On Sunday, Kurt swallowed hard as he pulled up to a house in Gahanna and double checked the address against the information he received from Ethan Anderson earlier that day to make sure he had the right number. He closed his eyes before he got out of the car, playing through that horrible conversation in his head. This call came around 9:00 am…

"Hello?" Kurt was confused because he didn't recognize the number and none of his friends, except for Blaine, ever called before noon.

"Kurt? This is Ethan Anderson, Blaine's dad. Um, I borrowed your number from his phone. He doesn't know. Um, how are you today?"

"Fine sir, thank you. Is Blaine okay? Did something happen?"

Kurt heard Ethan sigh on the other end of the phone and knew in an instant what was wrong. "As you know, Blaine's grandmother was admitted to the hospital on Friday. She, um… " Ethan swallowed to stall, wondering what was proper etiquette for telling your son's boyfriend that your son's grandmother just died and ask if he could come and console him.

"Sir?" Ethan snapped back to the conversation he was supposed to be leading. "What can I do to help?," Kurt asked calmly.

"I know it's a long drive, and I'll pay for your gas of course, but I was wondering if you might come visit Blaine? His mother and I have to take care of arrangements and I don't want to leave him alone right now. I didn't know who else to call." Ethan sounded helpless.

"What's your address?"

Kurt walked up to the door and took a deep breath before knocking.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Ethan Anderson looked out the window by the door and saw a young, well-dressed boy about his son's age standing on the porch. Kurt saw him and gave a small (albeit nervous) wave. "Blaine?," Kurt heard Mr. Anderson shout. "Could you get the door?"

Kurt took a step back from the door and waited patiently. After a few seconds, the door creaked open and a teary-eyed Blaine, clad in sweatpants and an OSU hoodie did a double take when he saw his boyfriend. "Kurt?!" Blaine launched himself into the other boy's arms, almost knocking them both to the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"You're dad called me this morning and asked me to come over. I hope that's okay…" Kurt spoke into Blaine's neck as he wrapped his arms tightly around Blaine's back. Even though Blaine didn't say anything back right away, Kurt figured it was okay when he felt the collar of his shirt dampen from his boyfriend's tears. "Hey. Shh shh."

Ethan appeared in the still open doorway and saw his son latched onto Kurt as if he were a lifeline. "You must be Kurt. I'm Ethan. Thank you for coming. Please, come in."

Blaine peeled himself off of his boyfriend and turned to face his dad. Ethan motioned for Kurt to enter the house, but Blaine hung back on the porch for a second. Before entering the house, he gave his dad a hug and whispered into his chest, "Thank you."

When all three men were in the house, Kurt looked around in awe at the Anderson's living room. There was a grand piano in the corner, a large leather couch and an elaborate bookcase that covered an entire wall. There were hundreds of books, dozens of family pictures, and several shelves of sheet music. He noticed several expensive looking pieces of art hanging on the walls, as well as a giant flat screen television. Blaine's family was obviously well off, but it warmed Kurt's heart to see it still felt very much like a home instead of a museum.

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Kurt." Ethan stuck out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Anderson," Kurt smiled as he shook the outstretched hand firmly.

"Please, call me Ethan. And I know you've already met Blaine's mom." Ethan turned his head toward the kitchen and called for his wife, "Vanessa, hon? Kurt's here."

Blaine blushed beet red as his mom walked in from the kitchen and immediately went over to hug Kurt. "Hello! It's so nice to see you again."

Kurt was surprised at the hug, but returned it with a tight squeeze. "Hello, Mrs. Anderson. I'm so sorry about your mother."

She pulled away and gave him a grateful but sad smile. "Thank you, sweetheart. And please, it's Vanessa."

Kurt offered her and her husband a smile, then looked back at Blaine who was taking it all in. He was so overwhelmed by the loss of his grandmother, the surprise visit of his boyfriend, and the fact that his dad was the one who orchestrated it. Kurt saw Blaine breathing heavy trying to wrap his mind around what was going on, so he reached back and opened his hand for his boyfriend to grab.

Blaine gave a quick, nervous look at his parents before he slid a free hand into Kurt's and stepped up next to his boyfriend. His mom gave them a meaningful smile as Ethan put an arm around her shoulder. Kurt squeezed his hand and Blaine felt a little less like shattering into a million pieces.

A few minutes later, Ethan and Vanessa left for the hospital to deal with paperwork and funeral arrangements. As Vanessa kissed both boys goodbye, she mentioned she left money on the kitchen counter if they wanted to order takeout for a late lunch or early dinner (Kurt was under strict orders from his dad that he could only stay until 7:00pm because he had school the next day). Ethan gave his son another hug and then shook Kurt's hand again as he headed for the door. Blaine was already walking up the steps, but Ethan grabbed Kurt's arm and stopped him before he could follow. Kurt immediately thought he was in trouble, but he was wrong.

"Thank you, Kurt. It means a lot to all of us that you could be with Blaine today."

"I would do anything for your son, sir," Kurt admitted honestly.

Ethan offered a small smile and nodded, "I trust you to keep an eye on our boy. See you two later."

Kurt closed the door behind Ethan and locked it before running up the stairs to catch up with his boyfriend. There were so many doors, he didn't know where to look.

"Blaine?," Kurt called out.

A soft reply came from a doorway about halfway down the hall, "In here."

Kurt made his was down the hall and turned into the room, stopping in the doorway. This wasn't just Blaine's room; it was his boyfriend's room. And they were home alone.

They already established that they were taking their relationship slow. Even if they were ready for something more intimate, which they weren't, now was definitely not the time for it – even with the empty house and hours of un-chaperoned/alone time ahead of them. Blaine was sitting on the edge of his bed, playing with the ear of what looked to be a much-loved teddy bear.

Kurt didn't move from the doorway. "What's his name?"

Blaine looked up and noticed Kurt motion to the bear in his hands. He smiled as he looked down at his toy. "Coop-bear." He patted the bed next to him so Kurt would know to come over and sit down. "I named him after my brother, Cooper. I've had him since I was 8, when Coop moved out. He told me if I ever needed a brother hug, that I could just snuggle my Coop-bear." Blaine sighed as he handed his bear over to Kurt who placed him gently on his lap. "As you can see, I needed a lot of brother hugs over the year."

Kurt frowned and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend. Blaine leaned into the embrace and buried his face in Kurt's neck as Kurt put his other arm around Blaine's back. He felt Blaine's body shudder and warm tears wet his neck as Blaine began to cry again. Kurt kissed his hair and rubbed his back, wishing he could do or say something to alleviate Blaine's pain. After a few minutes, Blaine's tears subsided and he sat up, rubbing his face as red as his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess." Before Kurt could complain that Blaine was apologizing for no reason again, Blaine continued, "And I'm sorry I keep saying I'm sorry, but I'm just so glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here too," Kurt replied as he brushed a stray curl off of Blaine's forehead. "I'm sorry too, though. I'm sorry I'm not here under better circumstances. I know I can't make anything better, but is there something I can do?"

Blaine frowned as he looked at his boyfriend, weighing his options, then yawned. "Sorry." He smiled at his apology and then yawned again.

Kurt smiled and glanced down at the bed they were sitting on. "Why don't you lay down for a little bit?" Blaine scrunched up his face to argue but Kurt held up his hand. "Don't even tell me you're not tired because I know you are. Please?" Kurt got up and pulled down the blanket and motioned for Blaine to get under the covers. Blaine rolled onto his back and squirmed around until he was tucked in his bed. "Can I get you anything?"

"You." Kurt's eyebrows shot up as Blaine looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Will you lay with me? We don't – I mean, I don't – I just want you to lay with me. Like, can we take a nap together? I just don't want to be alone." His hazel eyes were wide in earnest. "Please"

Kurt's heart began to pound but he nodded. He slid off his shoes and lifted up the blankets to slide into bed next to Blaine. They were face to face, each boy on his own pillow. Blaine was clutching Coop-bear and sighing as his body settled itself into the mattress. Kurt watched as Blaine drifted off to sleep, following soon thereafter.

.

Kurt woke up a couple hours later and gasped loudly when he remembered he was in Blaine's room, in Blaine's bed. Somehow Blaine's arm had found itself draped across Kurt's chest with Coop-bear now smashed in between them. Blaine stirred moments later. He squinted over at his boyfriend and smiled, "Oh, hey."

"Hi," Kurt whispered. "Sorry I woke you up. I forgot where I was."

"I'm glad you're still here. I thought I dreamed you." Blaine wiggled closer to Kurt and rested his head on Kurt's chest. "Is this okay?" Kurt nodded quickly and knew his heart was beating just as fast. Blaine could hear Kurt's heartbeat and he chuckled.

They lied like that for a few minutes and eventually Kurt's breathing steadied out as he absentmindedly ran his hand through Blaine's hair. Their moment was ruined, however, when Blaine's stomach began to growl.

"Blaine… when was the last time you ate?"

"Ummmm… last night."

"You wanna get some food?"

Blaine's stomach growled again. "Yeah. Maybe we should."

.

Thirty minutes later, Kurt was paying the man at the front door who then handed over a giant bag filled with Chinese food cartons. He shut the door just as Blaine was carrying in a tray of plates, napkins and cans of Diet Coke from the kitchen. They both put their stuff down on the coffee table in front of the leather sofa and sank down into its comfy cushions.

"Blaine, are you sure we're allowed to eat in here?" Kurt looked around at all the nice things and was worried that they would get in trouble should anything spill. His boyfriend just laughed and handed Kurt a soda.

"You wouldn't be asking that if you knew how much stuff has been spilled on this couch over the past year alone. Trust me, my parents don't care. We eat in here all the time."

Kurt took out several cartons and opened them up to see what was inside. He handed Blaine the Sweet and Sour Chicken and a set of chopsticks while he grabbed the carton of vegetable low mein for himself.

Both boys unwrapped their chopsticks and snuck peeks at the other before they attempted to dive into their food. Neither boy was having success picking up anything with the chopsticks. Blaine started to laugh. "You know… they make this look so easy in the movies."

Kurt sighed with relief and set his carton back down on the table. "You can't use chopsticks either? Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one. I was going to try and use them to impress you, but I can never pick anything up with them."

Blaine cocked his head at his boyfriend and gave him an odd look. "Impress me? Kurt!" He shook his head while Kurt blushed. Blaine set his carton down too. "Forks?"

Kurt nodded. "Forks."

Both boys tucked hungrily into their meals after Blaine brought them each in a fork from the kitchen. Blaine moaned upon eating his first piece of chicken. "Ohmygod this is the best chicken ever."

"You're just saying that because you're starving." Kurt rolled his eyes and slurped up a piece of low mein.

"No, I swear. Best. Chicken. Ever," Blaine insisted. "Here, have a piece." He stabbed a large chunk of chicken, dipped it in the Sweet and Sour sauce and held the fork up to Kurt's face. Kurt's cheeks flushed pink as he leaned forward and bit half the piece of chicken off. It was good. He smiled as Blaine ate the rest of the chicken off his own fork. "Good right?" Kurt nodded.

They chatted while they ate too much food and sunk into the couch with full stomachs after awhile. Kurt noticed during their conversation that Blaine never once brought up his grandmother even though he knew she was on Blaine's mind. He reached over and took Blaine by the hand. "Are you doing okay?"

Blaine knew he was talking about his grandmother without Kurt actually having to bring her up. He sighed and nodded. "I miss her already, you know? I had just gotten her back and now she's gone." He closed his eyes, took a breath, and then opened them again to look into Kurt's eyes as he spoke. "But I know she loved me. Through everything, she loved me. I'll just need to remember that." Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and offered him a small smile.

Kurt leaned further back into the couch and snuggled up closer to Blaine at the same time. "You're strong too, Blaine. Okay? You're so strong." Blaine nodded as leaned his head onto Kurt's shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile, intertwining their hands between their bodies and just being together. After a few minutes, Blaine suddenly bolted upright, scaring Kurt. "What is it, Blaine?"

"The fortune cookies, Kurt!" Blaine leaned forward and dug around in the almost empty takeaway bag.

"Blaaaaaine, I can't eat anything else or I'm going to pop the buttons on my pants," Kurt whined as his boyfriend threw a cookie onto his lap.

"But it's tradition, Kurt. At least in this house… you have to eat the whole cookie and then read your fortune. Please?" Blaine leaned back and gave Kurt the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

There was no way that Kurt wasn't going to cave. Between those eyes, Blaine's hair sticking up everywhere and the fact that he looked like an oversized 5-year old with his too big hoodie, Kurt had no chance. He groaned and unwrapped his fortune cookie, broke it in half, took out the fortune and then shoved half of the cookie in his mouth. "You're lucky I like you so much," he said through labored chews.

Blaine had already eaten half his cookie and was working on the second part, "Awww. Thanks, Kurt." They chewed for a moment and swallowed the last of their cookies. "What does your fortune say?"

Kurt unfolded the tiny slip of paper, looked down and read, "Your dream will come true when you least expect it." He shrugged, "That's kind of lame, no offense. What about you?" He looked up to see Blaine leaning toward him. By time he figured out what was happening, Blaine's hand was cupping his cheek and there was no space left between their mouths as Blaine pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.

He pulled back as quickly as he had moved in and found Kurt's eyes were as wide as his own. Blaine was about to apologize when Kurt cut him off, "If you say you are sorry, I swear to God, I will never let you do that again." By time what Kurt said registered in his head, Blaine found himself the recipient of his boyfriend's lips on his own, this time for longer. His eyes fluttered shut and he allowed himself to just feel Kurt's lips sliding against his own. When they pulled away for a second time, both their cheeks were pink and smiles were dancing across their faces.

"So what did yours say?" Kurt asked as he gazed into Blaine's eyes.

"I-"

Blaine didn't get a chance to answer because there was a sound of a key unlocking the front door. The boys scooted apart and Kurt busied himself, cleaning up the food cartons while Blaine hopped off the couch to greet his parents with hugs as they walked into the living room. While Blaine was talking to his mom, Kurt piled trash onto the tray to bring to the kitchen and saw Blaine's fortune laying on the table:

_If you feel like you've been looking for someone forever, just stop. They're probably right in front of you. Don't waste anymore time._


	12. Chapter 12 - Teenage Dream

A/N: Well, this is it... the last chapter :)

Warning: bullying/violence (this whole chapter revolves around 2x6, so anything that happens during that episode happens below)

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. (If I did, I would have come up with something more creative than "cheating" for all of the couples to suffer through at one point or another. Seriously... I think the only couple that hasn't cheated is Burt and Carole.) And since I don't own Glee, I don't own some of the dialogue that was borrowed from episode 2x6 and was woven into this chapter.

Disclaimer 2: I don't own the lyrics to "Teenage Dream" (That song was written by Katy Perry, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Benjamin Levin and Bonnie McKee)

* * *

Chapter 12 – Teenage Dream

At 6:59pm Blaine walked Kurt to his car and they shared a chaste kiss before Kurt hopped into his Navigator and drove back to Lima. He then went back into his house, in an odd state of being overly happy about kissing his boyfriend for the first time, but still very sad about the loss of his grandmother. His parents could see their son was torn with what he was feeling (they were totally spying on him when he kissed his boyfriend goodbye and saw his smile fade to confusion as he walked through the front door) and they wrapped him in a huge hug.

The next day, Blaine walked around school in a bit of a trance. His mom phoned ahead and informed the headmaster and his teachers that Blaine lost a close family member over the weekend and they left him alone throughout the day. He perked up a bit in Warbler rehearsal when the council voted that they would arrange a Katy Perry song for the group to perform later that week in a dry-run for Sectionals.

Kurt, on the other hand, was having a horrible day. Though he started off his morning walking the halls with a shit-eating grin on his face having kissed his boyfriend not once, but thrice the night before, Kurt's day went to pot just before glee rehearsal when he got shoved into some lockers by the school's lead bully, football player Dave Karofsky. During rehearsal his mood fouled when Mr. Schuester announced they would be singing against an all-boys school and Santana made a snide comment about how a bunch of awesome gay jokes just popped into her head. Kurt was pissed he wasn't allowed to join the girl's team for the second annual boys vs. girls mashup tournament. And then, to top it all off, Karofsky shoved him into the lockers again after glee practice. Twice.

That night during their phone call, Kurt iced his shoulder while listening to Blaine talk about his uneventful day at school and the funeral arrangements his parents were setting up for the following weekend. Kurt winced at the cold, but kept "Mmm hmm"-ing in all the right places during their conversation while he eyeballed the damaged to his usually flawless skin. The bruising wasn't too prominent yet, but a purplish hue was making itself known where the top of Kurt's back met his arm.

It was nearing the time when they usually hung up when Blaine finished talking. "I feel like I've been hogging the whole conversation. How was your day?"

Kurt's face screwed up with conflict. His day was crap, but he didn't want to dump his problems on Blaine because Blaine's grandmother just died. Surely that trumps getting thrown into lockers a few times. "Oh, you know. Same old, same old." He tried to get the attention away from himself. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. We'll see each other this weekend, though, right?"

Kurt smiled and nodded even though he knew Blaine couldn't see him. "Right." He looked at the clock and saw it was past 10:00. "I have to go, Blaine. But I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Goodnight, Kurt."

"Night."

.

Kurt's mood was lifted a little bit the next morning when Mr. Schuester announced that the boys had to sing songs traditionally sung by girl groups for their mash-off. His eyes lit up as song choices and wardrobe ideas flew through his head. If the other guys would agree, he had this competition in the bag.

During lunch, he grabbed his sketchbook and the stack of fashion magazines he kept in his locker, and whipped up a poster board with sample costumes to enhance the overall presentation of their mashup. He asked the other guys to meet him for a few minutes after school so he could explain what his vision was for their performance.

His mood plummeted mere seconds after talking to the glee guys. His ideas were not only shot down (they rolled their eyes when he brought up feather boas), but insulted (Artie pointed out the assignment was about opposites then commented, "You in a sequin gown and feather boa is exactly what you'd expect.")

Who said anything about a gown?!

The boys told him he would make better use of his time if he went and poisoned the old people they were up against, or spy on the Garglers ("The _Warblers_," corrected Kurt.) to see what they were singing. Kurt rolled his eyes as his peers continued to condescend his ideas.

That night, Kurt couldn't keep his bad mood hidden from Blaine during their phone call even though he tried.

"Kurt, I know something's bothering you."

He sighed as he flopped down on his bed. "I know, but I shouldn't be complaining after the weekend you had."

"Kurt," Blaine said quietly, but firmly. "We need to be able to talk about things together. It's not fair for me to dump all my problems on you and you keep all your problems to yourself. That's not how relationships work."

"I know, but –"

"But what? Kurt." Blaine exhaled through his nose. "I am so, so thankful for everything you've done for me. I don't know how I would have made it through the weekend if you weren't there. And I know you're strong, Kurt. But it's not a weakness if you ask for help."

Kurt sighed and clamped his eyes shut. He had never had someone (besides his dad) who so actively fought to help him that he didn't really understand that that's what being in a relationship was… it made you part of a team. And while he knew he shouldn't rely on Blaine to solve all his problems, he also suddenly realized that he didn't have to carry all the weight himself. "I know. It's just… I'm so used to just handling everything myself. Going it alone."

"You're not alone, Kurt. You have your dad. And Mercedes. And me." Kurt's lips curled themselves up into a smile. "So please… what happened?" Blaine listened intently as Kurt finally opened up and said how he was bullied on Monday, and that no one did anything about it. "Kurt! You have to go to the principal or something!"

"No. I'm fine, really. The shoving wasn't anything worse than normal and I was just in a bad mood because of glee club. My teacher won't let me sing with the girls and the guys don't like any of my ideas." Kurt could picture Blaine frowning on the other end of the line and probably fighting with himself because he would likely want to apologize in this situation. "I'm okay. Honest."

"But you'll tell me if you're not?"

"I promise." Kurt looked at the clock and saw he needed to go pick out an outfit for the next day and do his skin care routine. He had to leave earlier than normal if he was going to drive to Westerville in time to scope out the Warblers so he would still have enough time to drive back to Lima and attend his afternoon classes. He hadn't mentioned his plans to Blaine but thought it was best he didn't know. Kurt checked – all schools in Gahanna were in a different bracket than Lima and Westerville at Sectionals, so Blaine could be kept in the dark (for now, at least, because Kurt told himself he would eventually tell his boyfriend that he was spying on the competition). "Hey, Blaine, I gotta go… I have to leave early for some stupid thing for school and I need to get to bed. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Of course! Goodnight, Kurt."

"Goodnight."

.

Kurt fidgeted in his car during the whole drive to Westerville on Wednesday morning. He couldn't believe he was skipping school to spy on another glee club, but felt justified in missing classes because they weren't challenging him anyway.

When he came to the fork in the highway, a large part of him wanted to turn right and take the road he knew led toward Easton and Blaine. But, Blaine was at school and he didn't feel like going to Easton since Blaine wasn't going to be there anyway. Plus, he didn't want to run into Blaine's mom and field questions as to why he wasn't in class. So, he put on his left blinker and merged, taking the highway to Westerville.

He pulled into the parking lot at Dalton and his jaw dropped. The building was gorgeous and covered with ivy. It looked like a castle or something, with turrets and a bell tower. He turned off the engine and hopped out of his Navigator, straightening his jacket all the while. He cursed himself for not going on the school's website the night before to look to see what kind of uniforms they wore and hoped that his black jacket and red tie were covert enough.

The halls were dead quiet when Kurt opened a side door to the building and snuck in. He prayed there weren't video cameras watching his every move as he went up a staircase and began roaming the halls as silently as possible. He hoped classes would change soon so he wasn't stuck being the only person in the halls anymore.

Meanwhile, Blaine was sitting in history class, bouncing his knees in anticipation of the "impromptu" performance the Warblers were about to throw in the senior commons. He was excited to sing lead on his first song with the group, but nervous at the same time. The bell rang and he shoved his notebook in his satchel and raced out of the room.

He was busy checking his grandfather's pocket watch (bequeathed to him in his grandmother's will) as he ran down the grand staircase so he wasn't quite paying attention when a voice called out in the mayhem of his peers around him.

"Excuse me. Um hi, can I ask you a question? I'm new here…"

Always one to help, Blaine turned around and was genuinely surprised when he found himself face to face with his boyfriend, "Kurt?"

"Blaine!" Kurt looked mortified. "What are you doing here?"

Blaine laughed but looked confused. "What am I doing here? Kurt, this is my school. What are **_you_** doing here?!"

Kurt's cheeks began to match his tie as he sputtered, "Um, I'm here to check out the Warblers. We're up against them… crap… you at Sectionals next month… I didn't know you went here. God, I'm a horrible boyfriend for not knowing that!" He shook his head at himself and tried to rationalize the situation even though he really couldn't. "When you said private school, I assumed you meant that one I saw down the block from your house… " His sentence drifted off as he looked at his boyfriend who looked so handsome in his Dalton uniform. In that moment, Kurt wondered if he hadn't called out when he did if he would have completely missed Blaine. His hair was slicked back with so much gel you couldn't even tell it was normally curly.

Blaine thought for a second, then exhaled and asked Kurt, "Do you still want to see the Warblers? We're singing in about two minutes in the senior commons and we have to leave now if you want a spot."

"So, wait, the glee club here is cool?"

Blaine grinned, "The Warblers are like rock stars." Kurt raised his eyebrows. "Come on, I know a shortcut."

Before Kurt could respond, Blaine reached out and grabbed his hand and took off down a corridor. Kurt's feet instinctively followed and the pair of them ran down an empty hallway, hand-in-hand. He couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful murals on the wall as Blaine practically dragged him across part of the building.

They stopped in front of large wooden double doors. Blaine unclasped Kurt's hands and flung open the doors, revealing a room full of uniformed boys moving chairs and milling about, getting into place for the performance. Kurt's mouth dropped at the organized chaos. As he looked about the room, his eyes widened in panic. "Oh, I stick out like a sore thumb." He hitched his satchel higher up on his shoulder, trapping his lapel under its strap in the process.

"Well, next time don't forget your jacket, new kid." Blaine teased as he leaned in and fixed Kurt's lapel. "You'll fit right in." He winked and then broke out into a sly grin. Blaine handed his satchel to a passing peer and then began to step away from Kurt. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Kurt watched as a group of boys began harmonizing behind Blaine and his boyfriend took his place in front of the group and started singing. Seeing Blaine among his classmates made him realize why he had changed his appearance to fit in better. Although, even though everyone did look the same, Kurt still only had eyes for one Warbler.

_Before you met me_

_I was alright but things_

_Were kinda heavy_

_You brought me to life_

_Now every February_

_You'll be my Valentine, Valentine_

At first Kurt was confused because he wondered what happened to his boyfriend and who replaced him with this super confident front man? But as soon as Blaine quickly locked eyes with him during "Valentine," he realized _this_ was his boyfriend and Kurt was fully prepared to watch him shine. Blaine looked away and got back into the routine.

_Let's go all the way tonight_

_No regrets, just love_

_We can dance, until we die_

_You and I, will be young forever_

Once again, Blaine's eyes were back on Kurt's as he sang. All of the nerves from before were gone and he performed with purpose because his Teenage Dream was standing right in front of him. He thought of Kurt when he sang the song in rehearsals, but it meant so much more to Blaine to have his inspiration mere feet away. He pointed at Kurt when the chorus kicked in because he meant every word of it.

_You make me feel_

_Like I'm livin' a_

_Teenage dream_

_The way you turn me on_

_I can't sleep_

_Let's run away and_

_Don't ever look back,_

_Don't ever look back_

_Let's go all the way tonight_

_No regrets, just love_

Kurt almost had a mini panic attack as Blaine sang these words. He knew they were just lyrics, but for a fraction of a second, his heart raced because he realized should him and Blaine's relationship last as he hoped it would, those words could be a reality. That scared Kurt, but he was so proud of his boyfriend's performance that he forced himself to just enjoy the moment and realize how lucky it was that he happened to be here for this.

_We can dance, until we die_

_You and I, will be young forever_

Blaine pointed at Kurt again as he sang, not able to help himself because Kurt was there. And this performance was all for Kurt because Kurt gave him the courage to do this in the first place.

_You make me feel_

_Like I'm livin' a_

_Teenage dream_

_The way you turn me on_

While Blaine performed for the crowd, Kurt took a moment to take in his surroundings. He couldn't believe that a group of guys were standing around cheering on a glee club. A glee club with a gay front man, no less. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy for this seemingly mystical utopia of tolerance.

_I can't sleep_

_Let's run away and_

_Don't ever look back,_

_Don't ever look back_

Kurt focused his attention back on Blaine as his boyfriend raised his eyebrows and two-stepped to the side, then whipped his head around to lock hazel eyes on blue as he teased with song. Kurt's mouth dropped and his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

_I'm a get your heart racing_

_In my skin-tight jeans_

_Be your teenage dream tonight_

_Oooo aaaaaaaah_

_Oooo Oooo Oooo_

_Oooo Oooo Oooo_

_Yoooouuu_

_You make me feel_

_Like I'm livin' a_

_Teenage dream_

_The way you turn me on_

Kurt was full-out grinning by this point. He couldn't help it – he was so falling for his own boyfriend. This must have been what it felt like when all those girls screamed for the Beatles except that he was actually in a relationship with the lead singer. He felt giddy and kept smiling.

_I can't sleep_

_Let's run away and_

_Don't ever look back,_

_Don't ever look back_

_No_

Blaine looked his boyfriend square in the face with pleading eyes and gave him a quick shake of the head. Blaine never wanted to look back. Not when everything he wanted and the person who helped him find that was right in front of him.

_My heart stops_

_When you look at me_

Kurt smiled widely as Blaine pointed to himself. "Look at me" was right. Look at Blaine. Kurt felt lucky to have seen the boy he cared for so much come so far over the past few months.

_Just one touch_

_Now baby I believe_

_This is real_

_So take a chance and_

_Don't ever look back,_

_Don't ever look back_

_I'm a get your heart racing_

_In my skin-tight jeans_

_Be your teenage dream tonight_

_Let you put your hands on me_

_In my skin-tight jeans_

_Be your teenage dream tonight_

The Warblers ended their song together, but Blaine's eyes were caught up in Kurt's and felt so warm and full when he saw Kurt smile and applaud loudly for the performance. He wanted to rush over toward his boyfriend right then and there, but couldn't because his fellow Warblers and other classmates were crowding him, giving him High-5s and patting him on the back. He snuck peeks over at Kurt and saw the boy was still clapping. Kurt was so happy to see Blaine fit in so well at his school and be embraced by all for his talent.

.

Kurt never made it to class that day. Instead, he changed into his outfit he was going to wear the rest of the day at McKinley and took Blaine up on his offer to get coffee with Wes and David, two of the members of the Warblers Council.

As they sat around the table, Kurt thanked them for not beating him up for spying on them. Wes assured him that they weren't going to beat him up and David said that Kurt was such a terrible spy that it was endearing. Blaine just took a sip of coffee and took it all in. He knew Kurt was there to spy, but part of him thought there was probably another reason as well. He almost spit out his coffee when Kurt asked Wes and David if everyone at the school was gay.

Wes and David chuckled and shot Blaine a look as he laughed and said, "Uh no. Well, you know I am, but these two have girlfriends."

"This is not a gay school," David told him. "We just have a zero-tolerance harassment policy."

"Everybody gets treated the same, no matter what they are," added Wes. "It's pretty simple."

Yeah, maybe for them.

Blaine noticed that Kurt had gotten quiet and started to tear up. He asked his friends if they could excuse he and Kurt. Wes and David offered warm partings to Kurt as they left the table and Blaine slid his chair around so he could be closer to his boyfriend.

"Are you okay, Kurt?"

He shook his head. "I'm the only person out of the closet at my school. And I'm trying to stay strong about it, but Karofsky keeps making my life a living hell and no one seems to notice."

Blaine put a hand on Kurt's back and started rubbing circles to try and help calm down his boyfriend. Kurt wasn't quite asking for help, but Blaine thought he could probably offer some advice anyway since he had experience with bullying too. "Hey. It's okay. I know how you feel and we'll figure something out. I dealt with that at my old school. Even told the faculty about it, and you could tell they were sympathetic and all, but no one really cared. It was like 'hey, if you're gay, your life's just gonna be miserable. Sorry. Nothing we can do about it.'" Blaine leaned in, kissed Kurt's head and sighed against his hair. "So, you have two options. I mean, I'd love to tell you to just come enroll here, but tuition at Dalton's sorta steep and I know that's not an option for everybody as much as I would love to have you here with me. OR…" Blaine scooted his chair over a little so he was facing Kurt once more. "You can refuse to be the victim… Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance right now to teach him."

Kurt wiped his eyes and looked Blaine in the eye. "How?"

Blaine threw his hands in the air. "Confront him!" He repositioned himself in his chair. "Call him out!" He sank down as he admitted, "I ran, Kurt. I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away and it is something that I really, really regret."

"But you look so happy," Kurt countered. "You're doing well in school and as far as I know, you haven't been beaten up since you started coming here."

Blaine sighed and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, but not a day goes by when I think I should have at least tried to stick it out at my old school. You're the strong one, Kurt."

.

Kurt found it odd than no one questioned why he wasn't at school on Wednesday but was thankful for this oversight. He didn't tell anyone, not even Mercedes, that he went to Dalton, but he thought long and hard about what Blaine told him the day before. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to confront Karofsky or not, but he hoped he could at least avoid any more locker slams for the week.

As he sat in the choir room and watched the girls do their mashup of "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Start Me Up" he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He dug it out of his pants and smiled when he saw a message from his boyfriend.

Blaine (Thursday 10:14am)

Courage

Later in the hallway, Kurt was feeling pretty smug, having received another text from his boyfriend.

Blaine (Thursday 1:18pm)  
COURAGE - Blaine

Kurt smiled, admiring the text and loving that he had a happy secret that no one could take away from him.

Then, all of a sudden, his phone was smacked out of his hand and he was shoved harder than ever into the lockers.

Karofsky.

As Karofsky walked away, Kurt collected himself and made the spilt decision to run after his assailant. Blaine told him to confront his bully, so confront him he would.

"HEY!" Kurt yelled down the hall louder than he intended, but kept going because he was running on pure adrenaline. He flung open the locker room door and addressed his anger at David, "I'm talking to you!"

"Girls locker room is next door," Karofsky replied.

Furious, Kurt stormed up to the taller boy. "What is your problem?"

"Excuse me?" Karofsky stepped up into his personal space, but Kurt didn't back down.

"What are you so scared of?"

"Besides you sneakin' in here to peek at my junk?"

"Oh yeah, every straight guy's nightmare, because all us gays are secretly out to molest or convert you." Kurt's eyes followed Karofsky as he took stuff out of his locker. "Well guess what, ham hock? You're not my type."

For some reason that seemed to offend Karofsky, but Kurt was so on a roll that he didn't notice.

"That right?"

"Yeah," Kurt exclaimed. "I don't dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and are going to be bald by time they're 30."

Karofsky raised his fist near Kurt's face. "Do not push me Hummel," he threatened.

Kurt eyed the fist and stood his ground. "You gonna hit me? Do it."

With a slam, Karofsky loudly closed his locker. "Don't push me!"

"Hit me cuz it's not going to change who I am. You can't punch the gay out of me any more than I could punch the ignoramus out of you!"

"SO GET OUTTA MY FACE!" Karofsky was yelling, upset to the point where he was almost crying.

Kurt pointed a finger in the other boy's face and stared him down. He felt really strong now. "You are nothing but a scared little boy who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!"

And then Kurt felt hands on his face and lips on his lips. And those lips weren't warm and soft like his boyfriend's. No, these lips were chapped and wet with tears.

Kurt's eyes were wide by time Karofsky pulled away. His heart was racing and he felt violated. When the taller boy leaned in for round two, Kurt put both his hands on his chest and shoved him away as hard as he could. He scurried backward and put a hand up to his own mouth, covering his lips to protect them from a second attack. There were several moments of silence before Karofsky slammed his hands into the lockers and stormed off. Kurt was left alone, shaking and feeling sick to his stomach.

.

Later that night, Kurt tucked himself in bed and pulled out his phone to make his nightly call to Blaine. Mercedes found Kurt's phone in the hallway and gave it to him during their last class of the day. He was acting weird but told her it was nothing when she asked.

Blaine picked up after two rings and sounded super happy. "Hey Kurt! So I was thinking this weekend we could meet up at The Wilds. Does that sound good to you?" When Blaine's question was met with silence, Blaine wondered if Kurt called him on accident. "Kurt, you there? Did you butt dial me again?" Blaine laughed at the memory.

"Blaine?"

The laughing stopped immediately because Kurt sounded sick. "Kurt? Kurt, are you okay?"

"Blaine."

"Kurt? Kurt, what's wrong?"

"He…" Blaine waited but there was no end to that sentence.

"He… Kurt? He what? Please Kurt, you're scaring me."

After a beat, the reply came quietly. "He kissed me."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. "Who kissed you, Kurt?"

"I did what you said Blaine and I…" Blaine heard a thump, footsteps and then the distant sound of someone throwing up.

"KURT!" Blaine was helpless as he listened to heaving sounds over the line. After a moment, a toilet flushed, and then there was the sound of a faucet, then silence, and then water being spit into a sink. There were more footsteps and Blaine prayed it was Kurt walking back to pick up his phone. "Kurt? You did what _I_ said? What did I say?"

Over the next few minutes, Blaine sat on the floor in his room and rocked himself back and forth as he listened to Kurt recount his confrontation with Karofsky. He felt sick to his stomach as Kurt described the ferocity of the kiss and how Karofsky leaned in to do it again. Blaine felt wholly responsible for everything and apologized profusely to his boyfriend.

"I am so sorry, Kurt. I am such an idiot. I never should have told you to do that and I wish I could take it back. I'm sorry. I – I, god, I wish I could be with you right now so I could hold you or something. I can't believe he did that. I'm so sorry, Kurt."

Kurt sighed and closed his eyes. It wasn't completely Blaine's fault and he knew his boyfriend was just trying to give him advice. He didn't have to take it, but then again, Karofsky didn't have to kiss him. Everyone was in the wrong here and he would just have to deal with the fact that he could never un-do what happened earlier that day.

"It's okay, Blaine. I mean, it's not, but there's really nothing you can do about it."

"I bet you wish you never met me," Blaine said quietly into the phone.

Kurt got mad for a second. "Blaine Anderson! Don't you dare say that, you asshole. Meeting you was one of the best things that's happened to me in a long time, so don't you dare say that, you hear me?" There was silence. "You better be nodding right now. Or fighting really hard not to apologize because I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry' out of your mouth ever again."

There was silence before Kurt heard Blaine exhaled.

"I still wish there was something I could do," Blaine sheepishly admitted.

Kurt thought to himself and breathed heavily through his nose. He didn't like what he was about to suggest, but thought it might be necessary. Everyone deserved a second chance, right? "Well, there might be something."

.

Blaine was sure he was going to get in trouble for skipping out after first period on Friday, but he didn't care. He plugged Kurt's high school's address into his GPS and drove two hours to Lima. He didn't even allow himself to listen to music as penance for practically ruining his boyfriend's life the day before with his stupid, unsolicited advice.

After he parked, he texted Kurt to find out where they were to meet.

A few minutes later, he found himself walking up some stairs with Kurt out near the courtyard.

"Thanks for coming," Kurt said.

"Don't worry about it," Blaine replied earnestly. "Just let me do the talking."

Kurt rolled his eyes but was ready to let Blaine take the lead. He just didn't feel like dealing with Karofsky right now, but knew he had to confront him about the kiss because that was going to haunt him forever.

They walked up the stairs and finding Karofsky turned out to be easier than expected because the bully was walking down toward them. "There he is."

"I got your back," Blaine told his boyfriend. He mustered up a false sense of confidence as he walked toward Kurt's bully. "Excuse me."

Karofsky did not look impressed as he eyed Kurt and this prep school stranger. "Hey ladyboys." Kurt rolled his eyes for the second time in so many minutes as Blaine flared his nostrils in anger. Karofsky scoffed, not in the least bit afraid of this new short guy. "This your boyfriend, Kurt?"

Kurt didn't have time to respond, but somehow the look that he shot Karofsky confirmed that it was.

Blaine stepped in and addressed the towering boy as civilly as he could. "Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something."

"I gotta go to class," Karofsky retorted and brushed past the boys, forcefully shoving Kurt on his way down the steps.

"Kurt told me what you did," Blaine called after him, stopping Karofsky dead in his tracks.

"Oh yeah?" Karofsky questioned, daring the uniform to continue. "What's that?"

Blaine looked at him with an "I'm not afraid to call you out" look on his face, but he turned to Kurt instead since it was his story to tell.

Kurt's voice was void of emotion as he stated the truth very matter-of-factly, "You kissed me."

The jock looked around, praying no one heard him, yet also reacting like this was news to him. He scoffed, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Blaine saw his boyfriend take in a deep breath and turn to him for help. He decided to take the high road. "It seems you might be a little confused, and that's totally normal." Karofsky started to turn away but Blaine didn't want to lose his attention just yet so he called after him and followed him down the steps. "This is a very hard thing to come to terms with and you should just know that you're not alone." Blaine stopped on the landing and Kurt joined him by his side.

Karofsky stopped walking and wrestled briefly with his own mixed emotions before he turned around and ran back up the stairs straight at Blaine. He shoved him hard against the chained walls of the stairwell. "Do not mess with me," he growled, pressing Blaine further into the wall. Blaine's hands went up in surrender, his eyes cast toward the ground and then Karofsky's chin. For a moment he was terrified and couldn't bring himself to look this other boy in the eye.

Blaine only found the courage to look up when Kurt shoved Karofsky off of him, and scolded, "Stop this!"

The bully was knocked off balance and took several steps back before he stopped at the edge of the landing. He realized what he did just then was wrong and that he shouldn't have threatened this stranger, especially since Kurt cared so much about him. But then his guard went back up as Karofsky looked at the other boys. He wanted so badly what they had, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it, so he stormed off down the steps.

Kurt exhaled loudly and Blaine tried to diffuse the tension and cover his own fear by cracking a horrible joke. "Well he's not coming out any time soon." His boyfriend dropped his satchel on the ground and slumped down onto the stairs. Blaine dusted some nonexistent dirt off of his blazer. "What's going on?" Kurt looked miserable so Blaine walked over and sat on the step behind him. "Why are you so upset?"

"Because up until yesterday, you were the only person I ever kissed," Kurt replied. "Or the only person that counted, anyway."

Blaine's heart broke. How could he have been so callous? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them back up and put a hand on his boyfriend's back. "Come on. I'll buy you lunch. We can talk, okay?" He got up and waited for Kurt to do the same before walking down the stairs.

.

Kurt and Blaine set their lunch trays down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. It was in no way private, but it was farthest away from they prying eyes and ears of the rest of the glee club who only knew that the mystery boy was Blaine and he was Kurt's "friend" from the summer, so said Mercedes.

"People are staring at us," Kurt warned as he sat down and opened up his bottle of water.

Blaine looked up at his boyfriend and then over to the table of people that Kurt pointed out where his fellow glee club members. He only recognized Mercedes who gave him a huge smile as they passed them on their way to the corner table. He smiled back and followed Kurt. He would follow Kurt anywhere.

Some short girl with brown hair waved frantically at Blaine and he gave a small wave back before turning his attention to Kurt. "Are you okay with this? I can leave right now."

After swallowing his water, Kurt sighed and shook his head. "No, stay. Let the rumor mill start. I don't care anymore."

"Kurt." Blaine's eyes were wide and apologetic.

"Look, this isn't your fault, okay? And even though you probably don't believe me, I'm glad you're here right now," Kurt offered. "Really."

"About what you said on the stairs," Blaine started. "About me being the only person you kissed that counted up until yesterday…"

Kurt looked down at his tray. "You were my first real kiss. And I know this sounds stupid, but I feel like I cheated on your or something, even though I didn't mean to."

"Kurt." Blaine went to grab Kurt's hand in his own but stopped when he realized they weren't in a safe place for physical contact. Instead, he found Kurt's foot under the table and rubbed it with his own. Kurt looked up at Blaine and both boys had glassy eyes. "I would _never_ think that and I don't want you to feel that way. You didn't do anything wrong." He offered Kurt a small smile and rubbed his foot again. "Okay?"

Kurt nodded and after they collected themselves, they dug into their salads and were eventually able to settle into easy conversation.

Mercedes and the rest of the glee club watched from afar as Kurt leaned back in his chair and genuinely laughed at something the blazer-wearing boy said. They had never seen Kurt so happy and bombarded Mercedes with questions she refused to answer.

As the lunch period drew to a close, Kurt and Blaine pushed their chairs under the table and threw their trash away. They waved to the other kids at the glee table and headed toward the exit. Just before they were completely out of sight, Blaine slid his hand into Kurt's and the glee girls squealed when Kurt squeezed his hand back and leaned his head onto the other boy's shoulder.

Mercedes smiled widely as she watched her friends disappear. When she turned her attention back to the table, she was met with questioning eyes.

"Mercedes! Come on. You _have_ to tell us where Kurt found him."

She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she shrugged and replied, "At the mall."


End file.
